Gospel of the Day

Beginning of the holy gospel according to John 1:1-18

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.

According to Your Dignity.

Those of us who have come to know Jesus have experienced a new birth. We no longer come from flesh and blood because it is the grace received through the merits of Christ that has given us a new life as children of God. This new life grants us a much greater status. This new dignity should effectively call us to the interest of remaining in it and not losing it. It is up to us to be among those who embrace this immense grace and maintain it, or to be among those who do not embrace it and lose it by behaving like unworthy children of God. I am a child of God; I just have to believe it and behave accordingly, and the grace of Christ will assist me.

Grounded in Married Life:

Leonardo: Andrea, I have asked the Lord to show me your true dignity. I need faith to be able to see it fully. I’m sure that if He reveals to me the mystery of the dignity that God wants to give us, our relationship will improve drastically.
Andrea: Well, you already know. He has given us the dignity of being children of God. What more do you need?
Leonardo: I know it in my head, but not in my heart. If I were truly aware of what that means, I could never treat you poorly. Would you speak disrespectfully to the Pope if he were physically present here?
Andrea: No, for heaven’s sake! I would treat His Holiness as he deserves.
Leonardo: In contrast, someone who isn’t Catholic might not treat him with as much reverence because they don’t know who they are before.
Andrea: Now I understand. If we recognized the true dignity we possess, we would complete each other and treat each other according to that dignity.
Leonardo: Exactly. Will you ask the Lord with me so that we will have more strength together?
Andrea: Alright. We will ask Him every day of this coming year.

Mother,

Thank you for this wonderful year, in which we have received grace upon grace. Praise be to the Lord for so much.

Gospel of the Day

GOSPEL

From the Gospel according to Matthew 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,”Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,and stay there until I tell you.Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.He stayed there until the death of Herod,that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,Out of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,he became furious.He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under,in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
A voice was heard in Ramah,sobbing and loud lamentation;Rachel weeping for her children,and she would not be consoled,since they were no more.

The Gospel of the Lord

Obedience without understanding

St. Joseph obeyed without fully understanding the situation. Protect the Savior of the world? It seemed absurd—it should have been the other way around. Yet, without hesitation, he responded immediately. Was this blind obedience? Not at all; it was an act of deep trust in the One who surpasses all understanding. Those who obey faithfully cannot be led astray. It’s often said that obedience is the one refuge where the enemy cannot enter.

Applied to married life:

Omar: I don’t understand why we’re facing this challenge. But if God has allowed it, then it must have a purpose.
Patricia: Exactly, Omar. We don’t need to have all the answers. What matters is that we love through these circumstances and stay devoted to serving Our Mother.
Omar: Thank you, Patricia, for encouraging me to stay faithful to God’s plan and to embrace His will with joy.
Patricia: And thank you, Omar, for leading the way in trusting God’s will. Praise be to the Lord.
Omar: Praise Him forever. I love you.

Holy Mother,

No one understands better than you how you endured such moments. Though you were the Immaculate One, you submitted to Joseph, as to Christ, in those decisions. Thank you, Blessed Mother.

GOSPEL

From the Gospel according to John 20:1a and 2-8

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

The Gospel of the Lord

Always Filled with Joy

Today we honor the feast of St. John the Evangelist, the apostle who humbly refers to himself as “the one Jesus loved.” How inspiring it is to live with this awareness! If we truly understood how profoundly Christ loves us, it would be so much harder to offend Him—meaning, to sin.
This realization would transform everything: I would feel constant joy in the spouse God has entrusted to me, in my work, my children, my life, and my community.
Every sin originates from doubting God’s love. As St. John Paul II so wisely taught.

Applied to married life:

John: Fiorella, you’ve seemed so joyful lately—what’s your secret?
Fiorella: It’s Christmas, my dear husband, and my heart rejoices in God.
John: But how do you stay so positive through challenges? Just today, for example, the baby’s crying kept us awake all night.
Fiorella: Because I’m confident in God’s love. Today, He allowed me to share in the sleeplessness He endures for His Church, which groans in labor pains awaiting redemption. I embraced this gift with gratitude and joy.

Holy Mother,

In you, we live, move, and have our being. Hold us in your Heart and bring us to new life in Heaven. Amen.