From now until the Feast of the Epiphany the first reading is taken First Epistle of St. John. The epistle starts with a reminder that the writer is talking about something real — someone he has seen and heard and touched. After that opening St. John keeps insisting that those who claim to be followers of Jesus must keep it real as well. Faith is not simply a matter of learning the creeds or knowing the catechism. It has be something real, something you can see and hear and touch. The apostle in particular says that the love of God becomes real in the love that we show to one another. Keeping it real is a good resolution to make as we enter the new year.
