--- title: Daily Gospel Reflection for December 31, 2021 description: Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel. image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Daily%20Gospel%202.png --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/daily-gospel-reflection-for-december-31-2021#) [DAILY GOSPEL REFLECTIONS](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/tag/daily-gospel-reflections) # Daily Gospel Reflection for December 31, 2021 Dec 31, 2021 12:15:00 AM  |  by [Erin McCole Cupp](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/author/erin-mccole-cupp) Receive Daily Gospel Reflections in your inbox ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Daily%20Gospel%202.png) *Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.* ***Today's Gospel: [John 1:1-18](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123121.cfm)***   Another New Year’s Eve is upon us. If you haven’t already, you may be pondering what kind of New Year’s resolution to strike out upon in 2022. You turn a critical eye to what you are pretty sure are your shortcomings: overeating, underexercising, overspending, underpraying, and so on. We strive to come up with new rules for ourselves to tame our wayward wills. We often even do so sincerely, prayerfully, with the best of intentions. God adores our good intentions, of course, because He knows intimately how hard it is to be human. He gave the law of the Old Testament through Moses, because He knew we needed boundaries—but He also made us for more. He made us for grace and truth. He made us to turn our hearts from places of striving against resistance against the bad, to places of yearning for the good, true, beautiful. Like Christ, we are born and reborn because of God’s decision, not because of any power of our own. We matter no matter how accepted we are by people—especially by the person in the mirror. Whether we drop those extra pounds or add those extra prayers, we have no control over our lovability. We can’t earn it. We can’t lose it. God yearns for us not in spite of our shortcomings but through them. May today’s gospel teach us to yearn freely, passionately for the good God Who yearns for us.   #### Ponder: Where in my life am I resisting a yearning for what is true? Where am I holding on to what fails to satisfy?   #### Pray: Jesus, You made Your home among fallen people like us, for us. Help us to see our failings less as division from You and more as roads back into your wounded, risen heart. --- > [Click to Tweet > God yearns for us not in spite of our shortcomings but through them. #dailygospel](https://ctt.ac/xQ9C6) ![Daily Gospel 2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Daily%20Gospel%202.png?width=2135&name=Daily%20Gospel%202.png)   --- Copyright 2021 Erin McCole Cupp ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdaily-gospel-reflection-for-december-31-2021%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdaily-gospel-reflection-for-december-31-2021%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdaily-gospel-reflection-for-december-31-2021%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Daily%20Gospel%20Reflection%20for%20December%2031%2C%202021) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdaily-gospel-reflection-for-december-31-2021%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdaily-gospel-reflection-for-december-31-2021%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Erin McCole Cupp](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/ErinCupp.jpg) ### [Erin McCole Cupp](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/author/erin-mccole-cupp) Erin McCole Cupp, CTRC, is grateful to be recovering from the compulsive effects of developmental and betrayal trauma. She coaches, writes and speaks about mental health, family trauma, and addiction recovery. She is the author of several courses and books, including All Things New: Breaking the Cycle and Raising a Joyful Family (Our Sunday Visitor Books, 2021). ## Related Blog Articles [ Daily Gospel Reflection for December 17, 2021 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/daily-gospel-reflection-for-december-17-2021) [ Daily Gospel Reflection for March 28, 2021 - Palm Sunday Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/daily-gospel-reflection-for-march-28-2021-palm-sunday) [ Daily Gospel Reflection for December 23, 2024 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-12232024) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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