Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress": Jan. 3

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Pope Francis

January prayer intention: for Promotion of Peace: In a fragmented world, I invite everyone to reconciliation and fraternity. Pray that all may promote together peace and justice in the world.

Read

1 Jn 2:29–3:6 Everyone who acts justly is begotten by God. We're God's children, and we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone with this hope makes himself pure, but everyone who sins commits lawlessness. He, sinless, was revealed to take away sins. No one in him sins; no one who sins has known him.

Ps 98:1, 3cd-6 "All the ends of the earth have seen God's saving power." Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds....

Jn 1:29-34 John the Baptist, seeing Jesus approach, said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, the one of whom I said, 'One will come after me who ranks ahead of me.' I didn't know him, but I baptized with water to make him known. I saw the Spirit come down from the sky and rest on him. The one who sent me to baptize told me, 'The one you see the Spirit rest on is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and testified he is the Son of God."

Reflect

Fr. Gerardo Galaviz homily video: Pray in Jesus' Name, and proclaim him with your words and actions.

Creighton: The world doesn't embrace Jesus' followers is that they don't know Jesus. Knowing Jesus, and experiencing his love, is more powerful than knowing about him; it frees and emboldens us and sets us apart from the world and its ways. Once we know Jesus, success involves humility, dying to self, and serving others and the common good: including, forgiving, and healing others, and sharing the Good News with them. When I experience Jesus' love, my desires change. Love does that. Life becomes desiring to thrive as a person on fire with Jesus' love and mission. "They'll know you're my disciples by the love you have for one another." He who loves me and with whom I am falling in love forms my desires. John introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice will save us; he says Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. When we turn to Jesus, he asks us, like he asked the first disciples, "What are you looking for?" Where is your heart? He always invites us to "come and see." It will often lead us to row against the current around us, but we'll discover complete love, and his Spirit will lift us and help us renew the face of the earth.

One Bread, One Body: "Christmas ends with Pentecost": Christmas ends not on Christmas day or Epiphany but at Jesus' Baptism. Christmas is Trinitarian: to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit, focused on Christ, culminating in the Spirit, the true Christmas Spirit. Conclude the Christmas season by having the Spirit stirred into flame in our lives. In a way, Christmas ends as Easter, with Pentecost. In Baptism, Jesus immersed us in the Spirit. We should be preoccupied with the Spirit. We can be preoccupied with ourselves, but "the more we renounce ourselves, the more we 'walk by the Spirit'" (Catechism 736). The Spirit fights against our selfishness; by the Spirit, we can "put to death the evil deeds of the body." Let's not just "have the Christmas spirit"; may the Spirit of Christmas have us.

Passionist: What if we accepted that we're God's children? It would wake and shake us, because “the world” doesn’t recognize this identity or where it's from; they see only children of profit, power, proficiency, popularity, and pleasure. God wants to forgive every sin that separates us from him. Are you willing to amend your life? As God's children, it's our primary act of faith. He died for us and wants us to join him in the mission to redeem the world by removing all that taints our communion with God.

DailyScripture.net: "Behold the Lamb of God!" John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, signifying Jesus' mission as Redeemer. The blood of the Passover Lamb delivered the Israelites from slavery and death. The blood Jesus poured out cleanses, heals, and frees us. John was the son of Zechariah, a priest who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb for the people's sins. John recognized Jesus as the unblemished lamb offered by the Father as the sacrifice to cancel the debt of sin and free us from death and destruction. When he said he didn't know Jesus, he was referring to Jesus' hidden divinity, but then the Spirit revealed Jesus' true nature to him, and he bore witness that this is the Son of God. The Spirit makes Christ known to us through faith. God gives us his Spirit to open us to receive and comprehend God's plan to unite all things in his Son. Lord, pour your Spirit on you to deepen my faith, hope, and love....

Dress legend

'Children around the world' tie: We're God's children now (1st reading); all the earth has seen God's saving power (psalm)

'Eyeball' pin: We'll see God as he is (1st reading); all have seen God's saving power (psalm); "I've seen and testified the Jesus is the Son of God" (gospel)

'Dove' pin: "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove and rest on Jesus"; "He will baptize with the Holy Spirit" (gospel)

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Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress"