The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour. They went out from us, but they didn't belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us. You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I have not written to you because you don't know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord! Bless his name! Proclaim his salvation from day to day!
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field and all that is in it exult! Then all the trees of the woods shall sing for joy
before the Lord; for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, the peoples with his truth.
The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it.
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own, and those who were his own didn't receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him. He cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.'" From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
What strikes me most about these readings is how they hold together two seemingly opposite truths: we're living in dangerous times where deception threatens the Church, yet we're also called to sing with joy because the Word has become flesh among us.
John's letter warns us about antichrists—not just one future figure, but anyone who leads people away from Christ's truth. This feels remarkably current, doesn't it? We see divisions even within our own communities, people walking away from faith, confusion about what Christianity actually teaches. John reminds us that we have "an anointing from the Holy One"—through our baptism, we've received the Holy Spirit who helps us recognize truth from falsehood.
But here's what I find beautiful: even in this context of warning, we're given the magnificent prologue of John's Gospel. The eternal Word who was with God from the beginning chose to become flesh and dwell among us. Think about that—the Creator of the universe didn't just visit us or send us messages. He became one of us, pitched his tent in our neighborhood, as the Greek literally suggests.
This changes everything about how we navigate a world full of competing voices and half-truths. We don't just have rules or principles to guide us; we have a Person. Jesus is both the truth we seek and the way we find it. When we're uncertain about a decision at work, confused about a relationship, or overwhelmed by the noise of our culture, we can ask: How does this align with the Word made flesh?
The psalm's call to "sing a new song" isn't naive optimism—it's recognition that God's truth has taken human form and walks among us still.
How do you recognize Christ's voice amid all the competing messages in your daily life? What would change if you truly believed that the Word who created everything chose to become your neighbor?