January 1, 2026
Obedience – A Moral Virtue
Obedience means to deeply and attentively hear divine instruction, understand it, internalize it, and respond from a place of faithful action, trust, and reverence for the sacred.
– from a homily by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we begin this new year with confident hope for the future because faith assures us of God’s Abiding Presence.
Today’s Gospel describes John the Evangelist’s profound adoration before God’s Eternal Presence:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Gospel also conveys John the Baptist’s authentic obedience to the mystery of Redemption. Obedience comes from the Latin meaning “to listen.” In his prayer-sensitized soul, John heard the emerging mystery of Christ as it broke through time. He stepped aside, inviting others to listen.
Music: “Verbum Supernum Prodiens” (Word Descending from Above)
Suggested Scripture: John 1:1-18
For Your Reflection
- What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
- Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ?
- What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?
Lavish Mercy 