Dear brothers and sisters, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
In the first reading, addressing the chosen Lady, St John reiterated to her the importance of keeping to the commandment of love of neighbor. He tells her, “Let us love one another.” This commandment of love, St John says, is not new but what was given from the beginning. It is walking according to the commandment of God.
As an apostle of Jesus Christ, St. John knew Jesus’ teachings firsthand. He was reiterating Jesus’ teaching that the whole of God’s commandments is summarized in the love of God and the love of neighbor. We should recall that when the scholar of the law asked Jesus Christ, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:36-40).
St. Paul also discussed the teaching of the importance of the commandment of love in his Letter to the Romans. He urged the Romans and us to “owe nothing to anyone, except love since one who loves fulfills the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill. You shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10).
Warning Against Deceivers
The beginning of the Gospel of St. John talked about the taking of flesh of the Word, who was with God, and who was God. “The Word became flesh, and He lived among us” (Jn 1:14). The taking of flesh of the Word, called the incarnation, is an expression of God’s love for us. The scripture says, “For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son” (Jn. 3:16). However, some people in their fold had stirred confusion by denying that Jesus Christ had truly come in the flesh. St John warns about these deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.
Not acknowledging Jesus as coming in the flesh was a denial of the truth of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. This heretical teaching is called Docetism. These docetists, deceivers, and false teachers, St. John, calls antichrist. In this day and age, we face similar issues. We deal with people playing Jesus and claiming to be ultimate problem solvers. We deal with false prophets, teachers, and people giving an alternate reality to the truth of the Gospel.
Today, we deal with lies and denials of Jesus and the historical record of the Gospels. We must tackle the modern denials of the Biblical Jesus and false teachings with the same passion John did in his day. It is more important than ever to know who the true Jesus is according to the Bible and to love and serve Him. We must not be persuaded nor be led astray by the false teaching of these deceivers, false teachers, and false prophets. Let us not be deceived or allow anyone to deceive us (Matt. 24:4).
The Day of the Son of Man
The motto of the Boys Scouts is, “Be prepared”! It should be our mantra, too. In the Gospel of today, Jesus Christ hints that the day of the Son of Man will come suddenly and without warning, and at the hour we do not expect. It would be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot when things seemed normal for the people before the eventual disaster happened, which caught so many off guard. Jesus Christ has repeatedly urged us to be prepared, awake, and ready for that day as we do not know the hour (Matt. 24:44) and to avoid being caught off guard.
Finally, what does it mean to be ready and prepared for the day of the son of Man? Being ready and prepared in this sense means being faithful to our Christian ideals and mission. It means obeying God’s will and commandments and living an upright and righteous life. Being prepared for the day of the Son of Man means accepting the uncertainties of our lives, denying ourselves, and carrying our cross daily. It means living our lives each day as if it is the last day. Therefore, let us not allow ourselves to be caught unawares.
Always remember that Jesus loves you!
