Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - Tuesday after Epiphany, or Jan. 8
[1 John 4:7-10 and Mark 6:34-44]"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love." [1 John]
JANUARY 6, [St. Andre' Bessette, CSC]
The command to love one another is central to Jesus' teaching. The words, "God is love," often appear in a way that is isolated from the first part of the command. Love of God and of neighbor cannot be separated from one another. They are two sides of the same coin. Disregard of this central teaching has led to terrible acts of violence and war between Christians and toward non-Christians by people who profess to be Christians.
The first scripture for today's Mass from the First Letter of John is essentially an echo of the Last Supper Discourse in the Gospel According to John 15:12-16: "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you..." This commandment cannot be simply acknowledged in mind and heart but left unrealized in our actions. The Sacrament of Reconciliation gives us an avenue of forgiveness for our failures in love, but it should not be seen as a way of "enabling" us to continue in the same pattern of failure to love!
If we need models from the gospels, the Gospel According to Luke offers us the parables of Lazarus and the Rich Man, the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. The most important example is Jesus himself: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends!" [John 15:13] The catalog of failure to love on all levels of Catholic church life can be depressing to contemplate. But we have to keep trying, realizing that we do have God's help and cannot succeed without that help. Political and social biases that run counter to Jesus' teaching on love are difficult to root out, but they are some of the greatest obstacles to love. And the command to forgive as God forgives (cf. The Lord's Prayer) can be a hard challenge. Yet, we must keep trying on all levels to love one another as Christ has loved us. True discipleship stands on this foundation. AMEN