DAILY HOMILIES #St. John

According to John, “So many antichrists have come; therefore, we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us…. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you know it and know that no lie is of the truth.” (1 John 2:18-21).

In our Gospel passage, we are told the story of Anna, the prophetess. After losing her husband, she dedicated the whole of her life to serving God, never leaving the temple. Anna is a practical example of what St. John was talking about in today’s first reading; she saw the world's emptiness and stopped loving it.

Hatred (often expressed by unforgiveness) betrays our Christian faith: “By this, we may be sure that we are in him: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” How did Jesus walk? He forgave his killers. How are we to know we are in Christ Jesus? By forgiving our enemies.