Wednesday after the Octave of Christmas, January 4, 2022

1 John 3, 7-10

Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil. No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

In the excerpt from his First Letter used for today’s First Reading, St. John speaks of righteousness and the righteous.

“Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness righteous, just as he [the Lord Jesus] is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.”  Indeed, the Son of God came from heaven to destroy the works of the Devil, the consummate deceiver, who deceived Eve, appearing not as himself but as a wise serpent, and led her into sin.  The devil seldom appears openly as himself for the sight of him would frighten people from doing what he wants.  Instead, he appears as someone attractive and smooth-talking, persuading people that the wicked deed he wants them to perform is actually for everyone’s good.  How can we tell the good from the wicked, then?  The just man performs just deeds.  An unjust man performs unjust deeds.  He cannot perform just deeds.  An unjust person, living apart from God, may perform an act which benefits Christians or the community in general, as say a king who makes peace with another king, but he does this from ulterior motives (because he cannot continue to afford to make war) and not from love of God and neighbor.  We must train our eyes on the deeds that people do to determine if they are just, and we must resist the devil’s urging to do anything that is contrary to our conscience and God’s commandments.

“No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.”  That is, one who is baptized and whose conscience is formed according to the mind of Christ (cf. Philippians 2, 5) cannot sin except by the abuse of his free-will.  This can also be understood in an absolute sense if we understand “begotten by God” to pertain to the saints raised to Heaven, who cannot sin.  We should understand that John is speaking of mortal sins, sins committed purposely and with malice.  Mortal sins are not committed by accident.

“In this way, the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.”  St. John is encouraging the Christians to manifest their justice, but also to beware of those who might claim to be Christians but whose works prove them otherwise.  This incidentally is a warning about Gnostic Christians and other heretics who were a scourge during the Apostle’s lifetime and are a scourge today as well.  We might wonder how we are to convert sinners if we avoid them.  We should avoid them if they once accepted Christ and now reject him and resist attempts at correction, as the Lord himself says: “If your brother shall offend against you, go, and rebuke him between you and him alone. If he shall hear you, you shall gain your brother. And if he will not hear you, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.  And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to you as the heathen and publican” (Matthew 18, 15-17). 

In today’s Gospel reading (John 1, 35-42), John the Baptist, a man rightly known as righteous for his manner of life and his deeds, points to the Source of righteousness so that his disciples might know to go to him.  John knows that Jesus is righteous through the revelation of Almighty God, who allowed him to see a dove come upon him at the time of his Baptism.  Andrew and John, who seek to be righteous themselves, are drawn to Jesus.  They go and not only listen to his words, but they see how he lives: “Rabbi, where are you staying? He said to them, Come, and you will see.  So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.”  They saw how simply the Lord lived and how plainly and devoutly he prayed.  Their hearts burned within their breasts to join with him.  What they felt when they were with John prepared them for what they would feel in the presence of the Lamb of God.

We strive too in imitation of the one for whom our hearts burn as well.