Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress": Jan. 9

No-ël pin (and Christmas-wreaths-inspired tie): It's Christmas through tomorrow!

Listen to Epiphanytide music

Pope Francis

A spoof for a change, thanks to The Onion:

Read

1 Jn 5:14-21 We're confident that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us and it's ours. If you see another sinning, pray and God will give him life. God protects those begotten by him. We belong to God, but the world is under the Evil One. God's Son has given us discernment to know Who is true. We're in Christ, true God, eternal life. Children, be on your guard against idols.

Ps 149:1-6a, 9b "The Lord takes delight in his people." Sing and dance God's praise. The Lord loves his people and adorns the lowly with victory.

Jn 3:22-30 Jesus, his disciples, and John were baptizing. “John, [Jesus] to whom you testified is baptizing.” John: “We can only receive what's been given from heaven. I said I'm not the Christ but was sent before him. My joy has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”

Reflect

Creighton: If we see others sin, we should pray and ask God to give them life. God entered our world out of love and knows our needs. Our reliance upon God reminds us who's in charge of defeating evil; prayer helps keep our ego in check and helps ensure our response will come from love and humility. John the Baptist reminds us what’s important: drop ego, see Truth, and love one another: “He must increase, I must decrease.”

One Bread, One Body: "The Christmas Presence": Whether something is good depends on God getting his way, and our doing God's will depends on our loving God. To know God and be in a position to love and serve God, we need to be aware of God's presence and dwelling in us and our dwelling in him. We must practice the awareness of God's presence, of our dwelling in him and his dwelling in us. Living in his presence, we'll love him and do his will....

Passionist: "Joyful John": John the Baptist comes to us today after “the Jews” who challenge what Jesus said, and Nicodemus who inquires about what Jesus says. John tells us his joy is full. He's a prophet, open to God's Word, who rejoices and trusts in who is coming, so he would decrease. His father prayed, "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; you will go before the Lord to prepare his way. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and guide us into the way of peace.”

DailyScripture.net: "This joy of mine is now full": When John the Baptist's friends complain the people going to Jesus, John humbly exclaimed he was only the messenger to prepare his way, not the groom but his friend. In the Bible the groom delighting in his bride and the wedding feast are signs of God's love and joy in being united with his people, his bride. "As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall God rejoice over you." Through the Spirit's gift, John recognized Jesus as Messiah and acted as the groom's best man in arranging the marriage and preparing the feast. John now rejoices the groom has come to make his bride, God's people, ready for the feast. Revelation depicts the consummation of God's covenant relationship with us as a marriage feast of the "Lamb and his Bride...."

Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress"