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The Christmas Cycle
January 3, Octave of St. John
“Do Thou, O Lord, in Thy goodness shine upon Thy Church; that enlightened by the teaching
of blessed John, Thy apostle and Evangelist, she may attain to the everlasting gifts” (Collect).
Today we sit at the feet of John the Evangelist to receive the instruction which he has given to
the Church and to us through his Gospel.
“Amen, Amen, I say to thee, that we speak what we know, and we testify what we have
seen, and you receive not our testimony. If I have spoken to you earthly things, and you
believe not, how will you believe if I shall speak to you heavenly things? And no man
hath ascended into heaven but He that descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is
in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be
lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
For God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not His Son into the
world to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by Him. He that believeth in
Him is not judged. But he that doth not believe is already judged, because he believeth
not in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment: because the
light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than the light; for their works
were evil” ( Jn 3:11–19).
“And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. And not for
them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in Me; that they
all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the
world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou hast given Me, I have
given to them: that they may be one, as We also are one. I in them and Thou in Me, that they
may be made perfect in one; and the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved
them, as Thou hast also loved Me. Father, I will that where I am they also whom Thou hast
given Me may be with Me: that they may see My glory which Thou hast given Me because
Thou hast loved Me before the creation of the world. Just Father, the world hath not known
Thee; but I have known Thee; and these have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have made
known Thy name to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou hast loved
Me may be in them, and I in them” ( Jn 17:19–26).
God loved the world and He has loved me. For a long time He has sought man. He sought him
out in paradise, in the burning bush in the desert, in the thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai,
in the pillars of fire in the desert, and in the preaching and miracles of the prophets in the Old
Testament. Now He Himself comes in the form of man. It is no longer difficult for man to find
God or for God to find man. The threats hurled from Mount Sinai and the fire called down from
heaven by Elias are forgotten. God no longer needs to use threats and terror to keep man mindful
of Him. He stands before us now in the form of a little child. Could He have done yet more to
convince us of the sincerity of His love for us?
“That they may be one.” We had been separated from God by sin; but the Word of God
came to free us, that we might again be united to God in heart and in spirit. In fact, this very
union of heart and will with God and our neighbor is the distinguishing mark of the Christian.
“By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another” ( Jn
93