FIRST READING
Anyone who abides in him does not sin.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint John (1 John 2:29-3:6)
Beloved: If you know that God is righteous, you may be sure that every one who does right is born of him. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. Any one who abides in him does not sin; any one who sins has not seen him, nor has he known him.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 98:1.3cd-4.5-6 (R. 3cd)
R/. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
O sing a new song to the LORD,
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation. R/.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song,
and sing out your praise. R/.
Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn,
raise a shout before the King, the LORD. R/.
ALLELUIA John 1:14a.12ac
Alleluia. Alleluia. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. To all who received him he gave power to become children of God. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 1:29-34)
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptising with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven and remain on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
The readings of today teach us that it is God who calls and chooses His ministers, just as Samuel was. We are also taught that the elderly, such as our parents, guardians, teachers and formators should help the younger ones to decipher their vocation in life just as Eli did to Samuel. We are also told of the implications of the sins of the flesh which destroys the temple of the Holy Spirit, our body. The two disciples of John witnessed him pointing out the Messiah, the Lamb of God. They decide to follow him as if they have found the one for whom they have been waiting for. They came and saw the Messiah and went and proclaimed to others their first-hand experience of him. As Christians and disciples of the Lord, we should be witnesses of Jesus Christ by bringing others to him like Andrew did.