Friday, January 9, 2026

 

Friday after Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

A Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia reports that when he contracted malaria, he was placed in a hospital room next to a young Muslim boy.  The boy was intelligent enough not only to speak English but also to ask a pointed question about the Christian belief that Jesus is the Son of God.  The boy queried the volunteer, “How could you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?”  He reasoned from the Muslim belief that God is a pure spirit, who would not beget a son with a physical body.   This kind of objection to Jesus’ divinity is what today’s reading from the First Letter of John attempts to refute.

The refutation presents three-fold evidence of Jesus’ divinity.  First, it claims that water testifies that Jesus is Son of God.  It probably has in mind the water of Jesus’ Baptism when the voice from heaven calling Jesus the “beloved Son” is heard.  The refutation proceeds by naming the blood flowing from Jesus’ side on the cross as testimony of the divine love which Jesus manifests as he dies.  Finally, the Spirit of God testifies to Jesus.  The Spirit not only enables Jesus to perform miracles but also moves Joseph of Arimathea to provide a stately sepulcher for Jesus and Nicodemus to come with enough spices to entomb a Pharaoh. 

As we close the Christmas season, we have more reason to accept the Incarnation.  In the person of Jesus, son of Mary impregnated by the Spirit, God has come to humans in their same flesh.  We know now whom to follow so that our lives may be full.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Friday after the Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

Why believe in Jesus as the Son of God who gives eternal life?  The first reading from the First Letter of John purports to answer this question.  It calls upon three witnesses.  The first witness is “water.”  Jesus was born of a woman who carried him in her body sack of water.  In other words, he became human.  As human, he possessed God’s favor which allowed him to heal people as seen in today’s gospel.

The second witness is Jesus’ blood shed on the cross.  Jesus showed himself to be God’s Son by dying as a spotless sacrifice for sinners.  St. Paul expresses this truth most clearly when he writes to the Romans: “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  His sacrifice made up for human sins.  It allowed those who side with him to become members of God’s family worthy of eternal life.

Finally, the Holy Spirit gives testimony to Jesus.  He spoke through the prophets who foretold Jesus’ coming.  The Spirit also acts in our hearts to resist egoistic tendencies and to practice Jesus’ love for God and neighbor.

Friday, January 11, 2019

Friday after the Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

The Christmas season will end this Sunday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Perhaps all of us have participated in its colossal gift exchange.  We may ask ourselves what was the greatest gift that we received.  But there is no need to weigh the running shoes from Aunt Anne against the concert tickets from Uncle John.  The greatest gift of any kind, in any season, from anyone is God’s gift of His Son.  Jesus has not only shown us the way to eternal happiness but paved it with his own flesh.

Both readings today testify to the gift of Jesus.  The Letter of John names the three witnesses to his accomplishment.  Water refers to his human life.  He told the world of God’s love and performed marvelous deeds to demonstrate it.  Blood represents his sacrifice on the cross.  By dying there he overcame the grip of Satan on the world.  With the descent of the Spirit on his disciples, Jesus has been preached throughout the world.

The gospel testifies to Jesus’ fame being spread by his healings.  It sounds too good to be true.  It also demands a continual response of gratitude on our part.  We may want to put it out of our minds and concentrate on how to thank Aunt Anne and Uncle John.  But the testimonies are undeniable.  We must show due appreciation to God for the gift of His Son.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Friday after the Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

Today’s first reading speaks of three witnesses giving testimony that Jesus is the Son of God.  The first testimony is water which may be a reference to Jesus being born of a woman and all the works he did.  He showed himself to be sent from God by his preaching and healing.  Of course, his supreme work was his death which is symbolized by his blood.  It was on the cross that he showed the extent of the Father’s love for humanity.  The Spirit which the Father has sent through him is active in Christians who continue his saving work. 

The Spirit enables us to perform heroic deeds.  We can help the oppressed even though it may bring about some loss.  One man has driven fifty miles every week for over twenty years to lead inmates of a state prison in prayer.  He is a cursillista who chose prison ministry as his apostolate.

Some of us are called to give even fuller testimony.  After ISIS made a spectacle of its bloody execution of Christians on the shores of Africa last year, there was no mass exodus of Middle Eastern Christians from the faith.  Jesus’ followers in Egypt, Syria and Iraq have maintained their testimony of love for him and their fellow human.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Friday after the Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

Today’s first reading speaks of the Spirit of Jesus testifying to his being Son of God.  It is saying what Jesus himself expresses in the synagogue of Nazareth according to Luke’s gospel: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”  That is, Jesus’ marvelous deeds give testimony to his divine origin.  Something very similar can be said about Jesus’ followers.

Christians, including us, have been given the Spirit at Baptism to perform loving deeds.  We are enabled to assist others without concern for personal gain.  Indeed, we can help the oppressed even though it may bring about some loss.  One man has driven fifty miles every week for over five years to visit inmates in a state prison.  He is a cursillista who chose prison ministry as his apostolate.

Some of us are called to give further testimony.  These are the martyrs like the 500 Christians in India who were slaughtered by Hindu radicals in 2008.  Their adhesion to the faith despite the constant threat of persecution gives the most eloquent testimony to Jesus’ Spirit acting in them as well as Jesus’ being God’s Son.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Christmas Weekday

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

There is a story about a young man who told his girlfriend that he would do anything for her. He said he would climb a mountain or swim a sea if she asked him. The young woman then requested that he accompany her to the library Friday night because she had to study. He responded that he would do it but that he was busy at that time.

Like the young woman, God does not expect us to do momentous things for Him. He only wants us to believe in His son Jesus Christ. Of course, it seems very difficult to believe when others belittle faith -- when, for example, a professor speaks of religion as myth and the whole class nods their heads or when life’s sorrows make us want to abandon faith rather than conform to the Church’s moral doctrine.

The reading from the First Letter of John gives us reasons for believing. The apostle tells us that the water of Baptism that we undergo to enter the Church, the Blood of the Eucharist that we receive at Mass, and the Spirit of truth which we perceive everyday in the love Christians show all testify to our belief that Jesus is our Lord and God. Perhaps these witnesses will not convince rationalists of our beliefs, but they carry us through the struggles we face in a secular world.

Homilette for Friday, January 9, 2009

Friday after Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)

Stephen Jay Gould, the late Harvard evolutionist, opined that humans may not be as superior as we think. He acknowledged that the human brain has unequaled mental powers but offered as a comparable marvel the ability of certain bacteria to withstand temperatures of several thousands degrees. And so the academic debate continues. Are we merely cousins to other living things without a claim to priority in standing? Or are humans innately superior to all other kinds of earthly creatures?

Christians should have no doubt about the answer. We believe not only that we have been made in the image of God, but also that the Creator has deigned to take on our flesh in Jesus Christ. This second truth has especially vaulted us far beyond other kinds of plants and animals. Now humanness is no longer associated so much with fallibility but with decency, respect, and love. This is the import of Christmas, the feast that still commands our attention two weeks after its celebration.

Although humans are capable of the heights of heaven, we often act like starving dogs. Sin has so tarnished our self-perception that some of us do not recognize our potential for goodness. As the reading from the First Letter of John states, we must turn to Christ as the witness of the glory which is within our reach.

Homilette for January 11, 2008

Friday after Epiphany

(I John 5:5-13)

In one of his books Stephen Jay Gould, the Harvard evolutionist, opines that humans may not be as superior as we think. He acknowledges that the human brain has unequaled mental powers, but offers as a comparable marvel the ability of certain bacteria to withstand temperatures of several thousands degrees. And so the academic debate rages: are we merely first cousins to other living things, with no kind of life having an essential priority? Or are humans innately superior to all other kinds of earthly creatures?

Christians should have no doubt about the answer. We believe not only that we have been created in the image of God, the creator, but also God has deigned to take on our flesh in Jesus Christ. This second truth has especially vaulted us far beyond all other plants and animals. Now humanness is no longer associated with fallibility but more appropriately with decency, respect, and love. This is the import of Christmas, the feast that still commands our attention, two weeks after its celebration.

Although humans are capable of the heights of heaven, we often act more like starving dogs fighting over food. Sin has so tarnished our image of ourselves that some of us do not recognize our potential for goodness. As the reading from the First Letter of John states we must turn to Christ as the witness of the glory which is within our reach.