GOD’S WORD

January 6, 2017 Friday Before Epiphany 1st Reading: 1 Jn 5:5-13

Who has overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood. Not only water, but water and blood. And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him, for the Spirit is truth.

There are, then, three testimonies: the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three witnesses agree.

If we accept human testimony, with greater reason must we accept that of God, given in favor of his Son. If you believe in the Son of God, you have God's testimony in you.

But those who do not believe, make God a liar, since they do not believe his words when he witnesses to his Son. What has God said? That he has granted us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life, those who do not have the Son of God do not have life.

I write you, then, all these things, that you may know, that you have eternal life, all you, who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Gospel: Mk 1:7-11 (or Lk 3:23-38)

He preached to the people, saying, “After me comes one who is more powerful than I am;

I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.“

At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth, a town of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

And the moment he came up out of the water, heaven opened before him, and he saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And these words were heard from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.“

Reflection:

When we love a person we want to know as much as we can about him or her. We want to know his or her family as well. It is the same with our relationship with Jesus. We are invited to get to know Jesus and his family, his roots!

The Gospel of Luke, which we follow here, traces the ancestry of Jesus through the ancestry of Joseph. The Gospel of Luke, (unlike that of Matthew who goes only to Abraham,) goes as far back as ADAM, who is recognized as being FROM GOD! This family tree of Jesus that goes back to “Adam who was from God“tells us that Jesus shares in our human lot. The Good News is that we have a Master who understands our human frailty. We have a Master who can be compassionate with us!

As we are introduced to the family tree of Jesus, so we may likewise introduce our own to Jesus. We might want to let the Lord even heal our wounded family tree. The Lord cares now only for us individually but also our families!

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