Bible
Study: 1st John 2, 29 to 3, 6 and John 1, 29 to 34.
The words
of John in our first reading today barely need any explanation: “Beloved, we
are God's children now…for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope
in him purify themselves, just as he is pure…. You know that he was revealed to
take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no
one who sins has either seen him or known him.” 1 John 3, 2 to 6.
In
yesterday’s reading, St. John tells us that anyone who denies Jesus is a liar
and an anti-Christ. Today, he explains how living in sin makes us anti-Christs.
John is not saying that as Christians, it is impossible for us to sin. Rather,
his point is to draw our attention to the gravity of sin. We cannot say that we
God’s beloved children if we simply relax in our sinfulness.
One holy
man of God once said to me: “I-can-try does a lot of things oh.” At times, in
the battle against sin, the efforts we put in are more important than what we
eventually accomplish. Have I accepted sin as part of my life? Have I lost the
sense of sin? Have I given up completely in my personal struggles against
temptations? What am I doing to purify myself constantly as John says in today’s
first reading?
John in
our Gospel passage this morning tells of how John the Baptist gave testimony to
Jesus Christ. John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the crowd as the “Lamb of
God who takes away the sins of the world!” Jesus is the sacrificial victim that
was offered to cleanse the world of its sins and to this very day, Jesus
continues to help us rid ourselves of sin. 1 John 2, 1 to 2 says: “But if
anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also
for the sins of the whole world.”
What
efforts have I made to rid myself of my sins? Jesus is always present in the
confessional. There he listens to us like the father of the prodigal son
welcoming us back from places we have gone astray, he does not count our past
against us but treats us like new born babies. I must never let any opportunity
for confession pass me by this New Year. Now that I know that sin makes me
anti-Christ, I must use all my strength to avoid sin even if it means shedding
my blood. Hebrews 12, 4 says: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
Jesus is
the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Could Jesus have been
able to take away the sins of the world without the painful agony of the cross?
Could he have taken sins away without being sacrificed like a lamb? No way.
When next I am faced with temptation, it will do me good to reflect on the
pains of Jesus; the agony in the garden, the sweating of blood, the brutality
of the soldiers, the ripping apart of his flesh, the weight of the cross, the
three falls, the weeping of the women, the cry eloi eloi lama sabathani… If I can
remember how the Lamb of God suffered and allow these images stick to me, there
is no temptation that would be too attractive for me.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, help me live above sin. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. Happy New Year.
Fr. Abu.
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