Everyone wants to transform, but nobody wants to change

“Unless you are prepared to give up something valuable you will never be able to truly change at all”

Gospel text (Jn 1,1-18):
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.

Three hundred and sixty-five days this year, Jesus offered Himself to you in the Eucharist. The Word became flesh (Jn 1:14) and made Himself lovingly available in case you wanted Him. To you, who are "His own, He came" (Jn 1:11). Three hundred and sixty-five days this year, Jesus, "the Word" (Jn 1:1), made His holy word available to you. His love letters to you, the Bible, were constantly present to you in case you wanted to listen to Him. Three hundred and sixty-five days this year, Jesus made sure that your lungs kept breathing, your heart kept beating, your body kept functioning. Jesus was always thinking of you this year, staying faithfully with you (Mt 28:20), constantly loving you.

This year, 2011, has now come to "the final hour" (1 Jn 2:18). At the end of the year, Jesus, "the End" (Rv 22:13), stands waiting for you.