Embracing The Light of the Word at end of the Year 2025 (1 John 2: 18-21 and Gospel of John 1: 1-18).

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we have finally arrived at the end of the year 2025. The year has certainly been marked by so many events, happy and sad, surprises, fulfilled and unfilled promises, expectations, etc.  Today is certainly a moment to look back, above all, with gratitude. An honest personal evaluation of the year in light of the Word of God will help us face the future with hope. 

In the first reading, Saint John speaks with a sense of urgency: “Children, it is the last hour.” . It’s obvious that he does not want to scare the Church. Instead, he wants to wake us up. For John, the last hour is not about the time on a clock. It is about being able to discern God’s presence in the midst of all the tragic events in the world and live with a hopeful heart, believing that God is with His people. Saint John talks about the antichrist, using the word antichristos. This is not just one person, but “any force, teaching, or spirit that denies Jesus as the Christ” and tries to separate us from God and our fellow human beings. And we know quite well that there are so many such forces in the world today.  The media is so saturated with “bad news”, giving us the impression that only that exist. And consciously or unconsciously we seem to become accustomed to this.

John makes one thing clear: all those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior have received an anointing. He calls it chrisma. This anointing comes from the Holy One and gives us knowledge, the kind that comes from staying close to Christ. Many voices claim today to have authority and even knowledge, including what pertains to future. But John reminds us that Truth from God is not boastful and can never deceive. It is rather gentle, accommodating without compromising, brings lights and clarity against darkness and confusion. Child Jesus is that light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never overcome it! (John 1:5)

The Gospel of John bears witness to that light. John wrote in a context marked by Greek philosophy. The arguments were, amongst others, on the origin of the Universe.  While most philosophers used human reasoning to understand the principle of the universe, John talked about his lived experience of Faith. He has encountered the revelation of God in Christ Jesus. Thus, he can write: “In the beginning was the Word.” The word he uses is logos, which means “Word”, the “creation word” through whom all things were made.  

Before anything existed, the Word was already there. Before history started, God was already speaking. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. This tells us that Jesus, in the Gospel of John, is the visible face of the invisible God. The message of this Gospel for us is the necessity of having “experiential knowledge of God”.  This is vital in the life of every Christian. Without this, many will be deceived by “antichrist”, by vain discussions, ideologies, etc.

St John says that “The Word became flesh.” This is one way to recognize the antichrist. Any individual who denies that Jesus is really the Incarnate Word, who took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the antichrist. John is very clear about this, no ambiguity, no attenuating circumstance. This is the originality of Christianity (Cfr 2 John 1:7).

Denying the Incarnation of Jesus is limiting God to our human thinking. And this is nothing but pride and ignorant attitude. The eternal stepped into time. The invisible became visible. God walked among us. He entered our struggles and took on our weakness. This is where light meets darkness. John says, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. Darkness is real. We have seen confusion, fear, violence, and tiredness this year. But darkness is never the end. Truth and Light of God must prevail, no matter the time it will take.

John tells us that grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. The word for truth is aletheia, which means what is real and open. Jesus does not give us illusions. He gives us what is real. He shows us God, and he shows us who we are. As this year ends, this is important. We do not need comforting lies and half-baked truth that create confusion and lead astray. We need truth that saves, that set us free from sin and evil. And this truth is gentle because it is full of grace.

Those who deny Christ step away from the light, but those who stay with him walk as children of God. John says something amazing here: to all who received him, he gave the power to become children of God. Not by blood, effort, or achievement, but by faith. This year did not make us God’s child. Our success did not earn it, and our failures did not take it away. We are God’s child because the Word chose to live among us.

As this year ends, the Word asks us few simple questions: Have you found reason to be grateful to God? Have you found reason to be grateful to others and to ask for forgiveness?   As Christians, what did we do with the anointing we received? Is the light still shining in us? Are we still hearing the voice of “The Word” in the silence of our hearts?

Let us end this year with Gratitude to God, to those who have in one way or another been kind to us. Let us also ask for forgiveness for our shortcomings and seek the Grace to embrace the coming year with renewed hope and faith in God. 

May the “Emmanuel” stay with us until the end of time, as He has promised us in Matthew 28:20.🙏🙏🙏