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Gospel Reading for December 31, 2024 – John 1: 1-18
RESOLUTE
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.
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The gospel reading for today is about Jesus, the Word, being with the Father since the beginning. As we end the year 2024, let us look at all that had been in the past year, all the challenges we had to face, as well as all the graces we received from God that enabled us to face these challenges, and be very grateful for them.
A lot of us would be thinking of a New Year’s Resolution for the coming year 2025. Making a resolution is indeed a good thing if we wish to ring out old bad habits and ring in new good ones. For a lot of us, resolutions are forgotten within the year, sometimes do not even make it to the middle of the year, unless we are RESOLUTE enough to make it happen.
Perhaps, there would even be no need to make a New Year’s Resolution, but instead, just consciously follow the teachings of Jesus and develop a truly intimate relationship with God this coming 365 days.
We pray Lord, to let you be our beginning and our end!
