[Sirach 24:1-2,8-12; Psalm147; Ephesians 1:3-6,15-18; John 1:1-18]

Happy New Year!

The secular world tells us that Christmas is over, some people returned to work after the Christmas holiday last Friday, others will return on Monday. The shops have already started selling Easter eggs and Hot Cross buns and the TV adverts are trying to sell us holidays to places much hotter than England in January. But, for us as Christians we still have Christmas. The Maji have still to come, our Nativity is not yet complete.

Today we celebrate the second Sunday after the Nativity and in the first reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus [or Sirach] we hear Wisdom boast “From eternity, in the beginning, he created me, and for eternity I shall not cease to exist.” Wisdom, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit existed in the beginning and will exist forever; that means it will always be available to those who seek the Spirit.

In our second reading we hear why God created us, quite simply because He loves us. Our God, who is love, created us in his image and likeness, for God to love us and for us to love Him. We also hear that God chose us and adopted us; because of this we should be “holy and blameless”.  I don’t know about you, but I struggle to think of myself as holy and blameless. I know a lot of my faults and I have very dear family and friends who are quite happy to remind me of the ones I miss from my list.

How can we be holy when the world is such a mess?

The late Canon Frank O’Sullivan said that holiness is not about being perfect, it is about being loving. We show our love for one another, in the things we do for one another, the times when we are there to share joys and pains, the times when we just sit and listen to someone who needs to vent.[1]

The Gospel is that wonderful prologue from St John, which takes us back to the beginning of time, reminding us that Jesus, as the Word of God, was present at the moment of Creation. This same Word became flesh and dwelt among us. His own people did not recognise Him.

I struggle to think of the number of times I have looked for something, sometimes something I am desperate to find, and I fail to see it. I then ask for help and someone says it’s right there in front of you. Is this how it was for the Jewish people living around the time of Jesus? They were so desperately waiting and looking for the Messiah, that they failed to see Him; despite Jesus fulfilling so many prophecies from their Sacred Scriptures.

Today’s Gospel also introduces us to John the Baptist. John is a reminder to us that God has a mission for each of us. We might never know what our mission is and it will probably never be as important as John the Baptist’s mission. His mission made a difference to uncountable numbers of people. Our mission might make a difference to just one person. But to that one person it makes an incredible difference which is impossible to value.

Further Reading

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Second Sunday after the Nativity

CCC 151, 241, 291, 423, 445, 456-463, 504-505, 526, 1216, 2466, 2787: John’s Prologue
CCC 272, 295, 299, 474, 721, 1831: Christ the Wisdom of God
CCC 158, 283, 1303, 1831, 2500: God gives us wisdom[2]

Please remember in your prayers

  • The success of the ‘seeker’ day with the Bishop
  • All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
  • Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
  • All people affected by war and that international treaties for the protection of non-combatants and civilians are respected and adhered to.
  • All those attending the RCIA programmes
  • Those attending the Youth Alpha programme which is a prerequisite for the Confirmation programme in our Pastoral Area.
  • The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
  • Those for whom the festive season is difficult.

Deacon Tony

3rd January 2026

[1] Canon Frank O’Sullivan, I Am With You, Year A, [Two in One Flesh, Caterham, 2013]30.

[2] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments