One day, I was walking in the mall when a petite woman approached me with obvious excitement in her voice. “OMG! I can’t believe it! I’m your number one fan. If you have a fans club, I will be the president!” she gushed.

She was so thrilled to see me face to face. She continued, “I watch all your videos and posts! You are so spot-on. It’s as if you are always talking to me.” Then she started to tell me what I said in my recent posts. We chatted for a few more minutes and took a selfie. Then as she was about to leave, she said the funniest thing. With the same giddiness, she said in a loud voice, “Thank you for blessing my life! I repeat, I am your number one fan! God bless you, Brother BOB ARUM!”

That floored me. As far as I can remember, my name is Arun, not Bob Arum (founder of Top Rank Boxing).

My point? Even your biggest fans can mispronounce your name or mistake you for someone else. But your God knows you. He knows your name. God knows who you really are. Arun Gogna (gognuts@yahoo.com)

reflect:

Are your troubles making you doubt yourself? Go to your God who knows all about you and loves you just the same.

Whisper to my ear, O Lord, that You know my name. Amen.

Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and Doctors of the Church, pray for us.

It is important for us to reflect on what it means to "abide in Jesus" (verse 28) as we live the Christian life. We need the strength and power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to enable us to live this way of life. When we abide in Jesus, we gain His strength. Let us pray for the grace to dwell in Him and let Him dwell in us.

²² Beloved: Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. ²³ Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. ²⁴ Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. ²⁶ I write you these things about those who would deceive you. ²⁷ As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. ²⁸ And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

¹ Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) ² The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. ³ He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. ⁴ Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)

Gospel | John 1:19-28

The Cappadocian Fathers like St. Gregory Nanzianzen and Saint Basil have provided us with many writings to help us appreciate more deeply the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Similarly, John the Baptist shows us our need for humility to accept that salvation is God’s work and not our own. The work of the Holy Spirit is essential for holiness. Let us pray for the grace to surrender more deeply to the Holy Spirit today.

Gospel Acclamation

In times past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets: in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

¹⁹ This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” ²³ He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” ²⁴ Some Pharisees were also sent. ²⁵ They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, ²⁷ the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Read the Bible in one year! Read LUKE 5 - 8 today.

For many, today marks the first real day back to work. It is time to peel ourselves away from family and feasts and get back to the grind. This is difficult, but some may feel excited to hit the ground running in pursuit of their goals.

Today’s Gospel offers us a perfect model of someone who had achieved all he set out for: John the Baptist. John was a man on a mission: to make straight the paths of the Lord. He pursued this with laser precision and near-reckless abandon. Anything that did not serve this purpose were cut off. This passion was surpassed only by his humility and surrender. He was driven and focused, but clear about who it was all for: God and His plan.

Actually, it’s not just him. At Christmas, we’ve met many with the same spirit: Mary, the Magi, and of course, the Son of God Himself. Behind all the Christmas festivities lay one core truth: prophecies were made real, death turned to life, and sin lost its power because people said yes to God’s will.

As we pursue new heights and build new habits, it’s good to ask: Is this a yes to God? Does it prosper His will, expand His Kingdom, and make straight His paths? Or is this all about me? The First Reading warns us about antichrists. And you know what? We need not oppose Jesus to be His enemies; we need only to be working out of pride and selfishness. Anytime we put God anywhere than first place, we impede Him—and ourselves.

Our best comes out of devoting ourselves to God’s will as passionately and integrally as we can. It is only by humility and surrender that we exceed our wildest dreams. For in perfect obedience, we let God’s grace work its utmost best for us and those around us. Fr. Albert Garong, SSP

reflection question

How have you blocked the Lord’s path recently by your words and actions?

Lord, distill my dreams until only those You’ve planted remain. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________