The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas – A

Friends, today we hear once again from the blessed Apostle Saint John. The first reading comes from his First Letter to the early Christians, and then from the Gospel that he himself penned with such inspiration and such love for the Lord.

In the first reading, he draws our attention to the end of things, quite appropriate for the last day of the year. And he says, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the Antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour” (1 Jn 2:18).

Now, what does Saint John mean? Many people get confused and think that he is saying the end of the world should have happened two thousand years ago. But that is not what he is predicting. That is not what he is saying, because he is using biblical and theological language.

We know that “the hour”, whenever it is spoken of by Jesus—especially in John’s Gospel—is always in reference to the hour of His crucifixion, which for John is the hour in which Jesus is truly glorified (cf. Jn 12:23; 13:1). “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32).

So our Lord is saying that what He does on the Cross will resonate throughout the ripples of time until the last day. From the moment Jesus dies for us on the Cross until He returns—whatever that span of time may be—we are always living in the last hour of His glorification in heaven, the hour that will usher in the new age of the world to come, Paradise forever (cf. Rev 21:1–4).

For when the Lord returns, there will be no more purgatory, and we will be lifted up. We will join the Lord in the clouds, we who, through His mercy and grace, will be numbered among the elect (cf. 1 Thess 4:16–17). But we must persevere. We cannot be presumptuous.

The devil will continue to cunningly try to bring us down, and we need to fight against our own passions, to deny ourselves, take up our cross, as Jesus says, and follow Him every day (cf. Mt 16:24). The Lord’s coming can happen at any hour of any day, and what is more, we ourselves can pass from this life at any time. “You do not know the day nor the hour” (Mt 25:13).

So the wise person prepares, striving to live always in a state of grace.

My brothers and sisters, we have the beautiful grace of confession, because we are all sinners and we all need confession (cf. 1 Jn 1:8–9). When we walk out of the confessional in true contrition, having confessed the sins we know and even those we cannot remember, we are restored to grace. The Lord wants to make our souls, “though they be as red as crimson, white as snow” (Is 1:18).

So do not be afraid of confession. Yes, it requires humility, but the danger is not humiliation—it is taking God’s mercy for granted. That must never happen.

Saint John, in today’s Gospel, reminds us that “to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision, but of God” (Jn 1:12–13).

In other words, you are baptized. Baptism is God’s initiative, working in the heart, and in the hearts of parents who bring their children to the font. To refuse baptism is to refuse that divine prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Some objections arise from misunderstanding. Our Protestant brothers and sisters often say that a child should choose later. We believe that choice happens at Confirmation. Would you withhold life support from a child until adulthood? Of course not. Why, then, withhold supernatural life through Baptism (cf. Jn 3:5)?

As we close this year, let us say thank you to God. Thank You, Lord, for all You have given to me, to my family, to my friends, and to those who struggle. Thank You for those who have passed from this life to the next, and for Your mercy upon them. Thank You for the gifts we take for granted: the air we breathe, the light we see, the sounds we hear, the food we eat, the water that cleanses and sustains us.

Above all, thank You for the gift of Yourself in the Eucharist and in the sacraments (cf. Lk 22:19; Jn 6:51).

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint John the Beloved, and all the apostles, may the Lord bless you in a very special way as we close this year, giving thanks and praise to Him with all our heart, mind, and soul.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.