The 5th of January, 2023 is Thursday of Christmas Time. The Bible scriptures for the holy mass readings for this day came from the Year 2023 of Liturgical Calendar.
Reading 1: 1 JN 3:11-21
The first reading from the Letter of John.
For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another-unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?
My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
And by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him, because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God.
Responsorial Psalm: PS 100:1-2, 3, 4, 5
Response: Serve Yahweh with gladness.
Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands!
Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.
R: Serve Yahweh with gladness.
Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
R: Serve Yahweh with gladness.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
R: Serve Yahweh with gladness.
For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.
R: Serve Yahweh with gladness.
Gospel of the Day: JN 1:43-51
From the gospel verse according to John.
On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Other Celebration
An optional celebration on this day is the Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop.
