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Friday, January 2, 2004

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St. Basil the Great
& St. Gregory Nazianzen


1 John 2:22-28
Psalm 98
John 1:19-28

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who are you?

"The testimony John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask, 'Who are you?'..." —John 1:19   

It is very important for us to know our identity, that is, who we are. For if we don't know who we are, we don't know why we are, what we are to do, or who others are. Because it is so important to know our identity, the Lord reveals our identity to us. We know who we are because of Him. We are who we are because of Him. Who we are is who we are in Him.

Because it is so important to know our identity, Satan uses people to lie to us about our identity. These liars deny the identity of Jesus as God and thereby deny our identity in Him. These liars tell us we can create our own identity, as if we could create ourselves. Consequently, we must know who the liar is (see 1 Jn 2:22) in order to hold onto our faith in Christ's identity and thereby have the basis for knowing who we truly are in Him.

As we continue the Christmas celebration of Christ's birth and as we begin a new year, let us totally give our lives to Jesus. In that total commitment, we paradoxically lose ourselves to find ourselves (Lk 9:24). In knowing our identity, we know what life is about so that we can live the new year freely and fully for Jesus.

Prayer:  Father, send the Holy Spirit to confirm me in my identity as Your child.

Promise:  "He Himself made us a promise and the promise is no less than this: eternal life." —1 Jn 2:25

Praise:  Sts. Basil and Gregory studied together, became monks together, and became bishops together. Both of them have a mother, father, and brother who are each canonized saints. Praise You, Jesus, for the community of saints!

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our book Who Am I in Christ? or on audio AV 7A-1, AV 7A-3 or video V-7A.)

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert A. Stricker, June 23, 2003


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 26, 2003