January 9, 2025
by Rashmi Fernando, S.J.
Creighton University - Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Interdisciplinary Leadership in Education
click here for photo and information about the writer

Thursday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 215

1 John 4:19–5:4
Psalm 72:1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17
Luke 4:18

Praying Ordinary Time


The First Reading of the day emphasizes a profound truth: loving God and loving our neighbor are as inseparable as two sides of a coin. This concept resonates deeply, challenging us to examine the authenticity of our love for God through the way we treat those around us. If we claim to love God yet harbor hate or indifference toward our neighbor—the ‘other’ who is different from us in every sense of the word—we contradict the very essence of God's commandment, which is love.

Throughout the economy or plan of salvation, we see that God's love is unconditional and encompassing, extending especially to the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. As the Gospel text of the day reminds us, the exemplification of this love culminated in Jesus, whose mission was to bring hope and liberation to those most in need. His birth in a poor stable, which we just celebrated, his public life lived not only as a poor but also with and for the poor, his teachings and healings aimed at uplifting the marginalized, his death on a cross as a victim of political rivalry, and his burial in an abandoned tomb remind us that true love is action—it is feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, advocating for justice, and extending compassion through one’s whole life and work. To love God is to mirror this love to others, particularly those who are vulnerable, forgotten, and different from us.

This is why God’s commandments are not burdensome but life-giving. By loving our neighbors, we not only fulfill God’s will but also experience the joy and freedom of living in harmony with ourselves, with each other, with creation, and ultimately with God Himself. Hence, our faith in God is emancipating, helping us conquer the world and overcome its narrow ways, transforming it into a place of hope, compassion, and love.

As we reflect on the readings today, especially looking toward the New Year ahead, let us ask: Who is my neighbor in need of love today? It might be someone struggling with loneliness, a family facing financial hardship, or a community overlooked by society, such as migrants and refugees. The call is clear: to make this year acceptable to the Lord, what must I do to serve and uplift those who are most in need?

Click on the link below to send an e-mail response
to the writer of this reflection.
RashmiFernando@creighton.edu

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