Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but
a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. - Hal Borland What important lessons from your life experience have you learned this year?
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1 John 2:18-21 Psalm 96:1-2, 11-12, 13 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.
Reflection on the Scriptures
The word “light” is used six times in the first nine verses of this preview of the Gospel of Jesus as meant to be seen. The first twelve chapters of John’s Gospel are known as The Book of Signs, that is
Jesus’ miracles are meant to be seen as revelations of His identity and mission. In the first appearance of Jesus publicly, He invites two disciples of John the Baptist to “come and see.” For John, seeing is not actually believing, but seeing signs as invitations to belief is God’s way of reverencing our human reluctance to flat-out believe. We need the light to edge us along in our darkness. This human darkness leads us to fear, to create artificial ways of seeing; we do not want to be
duped, tricked or fooled with. We humans want to see, comprehend, grab-hold and know it and then we can call that faith. God’s creation of each of us has been and still is assisted by persons who have let us know who we really are. We probably have had persons who also deformed or damaged our images of our real selves. Jesus as Light, came to
dwell among us and in doing so, in John’s Gospel as well as in our lives, has stayed to gently, but insistently reveal who each of us is and who we all are together. He came as Light to, both shine through creation and radiate His Light through us. -by Rev. Larry Gillis, S.J.
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis https://amzn.to/40FrikB Paperback and Kindle versions available BOOK
ONE: Thoughts Helpful in the Life of a Soul
The Twelfth Chapter: The Value of Adversity IT IS good for us to have trials and troubles
at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by others even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances people give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our hearts. Therefore, we ought to root ourselves so firmly in God that we
will not need the consolations of others.
When a people of good will are afflicted, tempted, and tormented by evil thoughts, they realizes clearly that their greatest need is God, without Whom we can do no good. Saddened by our miseries and sufferings, we lament and pray. We become weary of living longer and even wish for death that we might be
dissolved and be with Christ. Then we understands fully that perfect security and complete peace cannot be found on earth.
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