St. John’s words in today’s reading are at once tender and challenging. He begins not with correction, but with reassurance: “I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven for his name’s sake.” (1 Jn 2:12) Before John asks anything of us, he reminds us of who we already are. We are forgiven. We belong to God. The Apostles is telling us that the Christian life does not begin with moral effort, but with grace.
John addresses the community as children, parents, and young people. At one level it refers to stages of age, but at the same time it refers to stages of faith – from the just initiated to the mature. The message is for everyone. St. John reminds them that as they are they are known by God. They are loved. And all are reminded to continue to grow and mature in their faith..
At the same time, John then delivers a stark command: “Do not love the world or the things of the world.” (1 Jn 2:15) That might give us pause, after all, God created the world and called it good. John is not condemning creation. He is warning us against a way of living that shuts God out. He names it clearly: “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1 Jn 2:16)
These are not merely temptations; they are patterns of false fulfillment:
- The lust of the flesh says: “If it feels good, it must be good.”
- The lust of the eyes says: “If I can have it, I deserve it.”
- The pride of life says: “I am self-made; I need no one.”
All of them promise life but in the end deliver emptiness. None of these come from the Father.
John contrasts the world’s passing allure with a sobering truth: “Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.” (1 Jn 2:17) This is not meant to frighten us, but to free us. So much of our anxiety comes from clinging to what cannot last: status, possessions, approval, and control. Advent, Christmas, and the whole Christian life remind us that only love rooted in God endures.
To do the will of God is not to escape the world, but to live in it without being possessed by it. Here at the threshold of a New Year we can ask ourselves three questions and reflect on them honestly:
- What do I love most?
- What shapes my desires?
- What do I cling to as if it were permanent?
These questions are an invitation to realign our hearts to the will of God.
St. John speaks as a spiritual father who knows our struggles. He knows our temptations. And he assures us that what we are offered in Christ is far greater than what the world promises.
The world passes.
God remains.
And those who choose His will share in His life forever.
May this word today help us loosen our grip on what fades, and deepen our love for the One who endures.
Image credit: St. John the Evangelist | Carlo Dolci, 17th century | Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow | PS-US. Bible from Pexels