Reflection on Today's Readings, Saturday after Epiphany, January 9th, 2021
Texts: 1 John 5:14-21; Ps.149:1-6.9a; John 3:22-30
St. John in today's first reading, talks about the power of prayer in forgiveness of venial sins. One thing that set us apart as Christians is our faith that prayer is answered through Jesus Christ. St. John says, "This is the confidence which we have in the Son of God, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." The will of God for us is that we are saved. The salvation consists in doing the will of God. St. Paul says, "To do this is right, and acceptable to God our Saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth" (1Tim. 2:3). Then, any prayer offered for salvation of souls and attainment of knowledge of God is heard by God.
Another point made by St. John is that if God hears a prayer, he answers it. He puts it thus: "And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him." The 'hearing' here is not just about hearing voice and giving meaning, but being favourable disposed towards such prayer; it means such prayer wins the good will of God. Whatever God wills materializes. St. John reminds us that it is absurd to think that a prayer pleasing to God is not answered or that we have not received the requests of prayer pleasing to God.
Having established that God answers prayer, he asks us to pray for a brother or sister who might have committed venial sin. He says, "If any one sees his brother committing what is not a deadly sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not deadly." This is a call to pray for brother or sister that he/she may be holy. We have to intercede for one another: I am to pray for you that you may be holy and you too are to pray for me that I may be holy.
St. John wants us to keep in mind that we are born of God and so no longer belong to the world of evil. If we keep in mind that we are born of God, we will always stay away from sin. Those of us who are born of God do not sin because Jesus Christ, Son of God, keeps us by giving us understanding. St. John says, "We know that any one born of God does not sin, but he who was born of God keeps him, and the Evil One does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the Evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ." We have known God who is the truth and we are in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is also the truth, and so we have victory over the evil world. For St. John, knowing God is keeping His commandments (1John 2:3). We know the truth when we know that our good consists in keeping God's commandments.
John the Baptist was a man who knew the truth. He knew the truth and the truth kept him on the right path. He said to the people, "No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. He who has the bride is bridegroom; the friend of bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease." He knew the truth and he did not mind if he was fading away. This is strange to our world, today: world where we pull down the other person, world where we suppress the other person so that he/she may not grow, world where we keep the other person in subservience to us perpetually and we do not want any other achievement to surpass our own. Sometimes we blackmail those whose achievements surpass ours. Today, we are reminded that nothing we have that is not given from above. Let us be happy about other person's achievement.
Lord Jesus Christ, help by grace to know the truth and to intercede for one another. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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