Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
(I John 2:18-21; John
1:1-18)
Modern apocalyptic
movies feature the antichrist. He is
usually a dark character with satanic power.
He comes to wreck evil upon the world.
However dramatic the antichrist may appear today, he is not described in
this way in the Bible. Today’s first reading
gives reference to him.
The presbyter-writer
rails against the antichrist. From what
is known of the context, he calls antichrists those who deny that the Son of
God came in flesh and blood. The
antichrist would say that Jesus only appeared to have a human body. According to this thought, Jesus was pure
spirit. His “resurrection” was not a
marvelous act of God. It was as natural
as air under water to form bubbles floating upward.
We believe that Christ
is God incarnate in a human body. He
really died and really rose from the dead.
We also believe that those who believe in him have the same
destiny. Belief here is multi-dimensional. We not only assent to this teaching but also
follow Jesus’ commands. As a result, we
become children of God. The gospel also
asserts that we receive “grace in place of grace.” That is, our earthly grace of virtue will be
replaced by eternal life.
