Daily Bible Readings January 12 2008 with Traditional Catholic Commentary

January 12 2008 Saturday Octave of Epiphany

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/011208.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

1 John 5:14-21
Haydock NT

14 And this is the confidence which we have in him: that whatsoever we shall ask, according to his will, he heareth us. 15 And we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask: we know that we have the petitions which we request of him. 16 He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin which is not unto death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him, that sinneth not to death. There is a sin unto death; I do not say that anyone should ask for it.

17 All iniquity is sin: and there is a sin unto death. 18 We know that every one, who is born of God, sinneth not: but the generation of God preserveth him, and the wicked one toucheth him not. 19 We know that we are of God; and the whole world is seated in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us understanding, that we may know the true God, and may be in his true Son. He is the true God, and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

John 3:22-30
Haydock NT

22 After these things, Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea: and there he abode with them, and baptized. 23 And John also was baptizing in Ennon (Aenon), near Salem; because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24 For John was not yet cast into prison. 25 And there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews, concerning purification. 26 And they came to John, and said to him:

Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou gavest testimony, behold he baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27 John answered, and said:

A man cannot receive anything unless it be given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves do bear me witness, that I said: I am not the Christ; but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy, because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Haydock Commentary 1 John 5:14-21

• Ver. 16. A sin which is not unto death …. And life shall be given to him. It is hard to determine what S. John here calls a sin which is not unto death, and a sin which is unto death. The difference cannot be the same as betwixt sins that are called venial and mortal; for he says, that if a man pray for his brother who commits a sin that is not unto death, life shall be given to him: therefore such a one had before lost the life of grace, and been guilty of what is commonly called a mortal sin. And when he speaks of a sin that is unto death, and adds these words, I do not say that any one should ask for that sin, it cannot be supposed that S. John would say this of every mortal sin, but only of some heinous sins, which are very seldom remitted, because such sinners very seldom repent. By a sin therefore which is not unto death, interpreters commonly understand a willful apostasy from the faith, and from the known truth, when a sinner hardened by his own ingratitude becomes deaf to all admonitions, will do nothing for himself, but runs on to final impenitence. Nor yet does S. John say that such a sin is never remitted, or cannot be remitted, but only has these words, I do not say that any one should ask for the remission of that sin; that is, though we must pray for all sinners whatsoever, yet man cannot pray for such sinners with such a confidence of obtaining always their petitions, as S. John said before, v. 14. Whatever exposition we follow on this verse, our faith teaches us from the holy Scriptures, that God desires not the death of any sinner, but that he be converted and live. See Ezech. xxxiii. 11. Though men’s “sins be as the scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18. It is the will of God that every one come to the knowledge of truth and be saved. See John 6:40. There is no sin so great but which God is willing to forgive, and has left power in his Church to remit the most enormous sins; so that no sinner need despair of pardon, nor will any sinner perish but by  his own fault. Wi.—A sin unto death. Some understand this of final impenitence, or of dying in mortal sin, which is the only sin that never can be remitted; but, it is probable, he may also comprise under this name the sin of apostasy from the faith, and some other such heinous sins as are seldom and hardly remitted: and therefore he gives little encouragement to such as pray for these sinners, to expect what they ask. Ch.
• Ver. 17. All iniquity is sin. The sense here is, that sin is always an injury or an injustice done to God; but though every sin implies such an injury and an offence against God, yet there are different degrees in such injuries, which are not always such an injustice as S. John calls the sin unto death. Wi.
• Ver. 18. Sinneth not. See the annotation on Chapter 3:6 &c. Ch.—The generation of God preserveth him, (i.e. the grace of adoption, as long as it remains in the soul; see C. 3:9) and the wicked one (i.e. the devil) toucheth him not. Wi.
• Ver. 19. And the whole world is seated in wickedness; i.e. a great part of the world. It may also signify, is under the wicked one;  meaning the devil, who is elsewhere called the prince of this world, that is, of all the wicked. Jo. xii. 31. Wi.
• Ver. 20. And may be in his true Son. This is the true God, and eternal life. Which words are a clear proof of Christ’s divinity, and as such made use of by the ancient Fathers.
• Ver. 21. Keep yourselves from idols. An admonition to the new converted Christians, lest, conversing with heathens and idolaters, they might fall back into the sin of idolatry, which may be the sin unto death mentioned by S. John. Wi.

 

Haydock Commentary John 3:22-30

• Ver. 22. And baptized. Not Christ himself, but his disciples. See c. iv. 2. Wi.
• Ver. 23. Salem. A town situated upon the river Jordan, where formerly Melchisedech reigned. Ven. Bede. (also Salim – many names are Latinized which makes them difficult to recognize. This one is simpler, however.)
• Ver. 29. He of whom you complain is the bridegroom, and I am the friend of the bridegroom, sent before to prepare his bride; that is, to collect for him a Church from all nations. Alcuin.—The servants of the bridegroom do not rejoice in the same manner as his friends: I am his friend, and I rejoice with very great joy, because of the bridegroom’s voice. He must increase, and I must decrease; by which words the great precursor demonstrates to the world, that not the least envy with regard to his divine Master rankles in his heart; but on the contrary, that he should be happy to see all his followers desert him, to run to Jesus Christ. S. Chrys.
• Ver. 30. He (Christ) must increase, not in virtue and perfection, with which he is replenished, but in the opinion of the world, when they begin to know him, and believe in him: and in like manner, I must be diminished, when they know how much he is above me. Wi.