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Jn 1:1-18
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
1	In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God.	in principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum
2	The same was in the beginning with God.	hoc erat in principio apud Deum
3	All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.	omnia per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est
4	In him was life: and the life was the light of men.	in ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum
5	And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.	et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non conprehenderunt
6	There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.	fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen erat Iohannes
7	This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.	hic venit in testimonium ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine ut omnes crederent per illum
8	He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.	non erat ille lux sed ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine
9	That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.	erat lux vera quae inluminat omnem hominem venientem in mundum
10	He was in the world: and the world was made by him: and the world knew him not.	in mundo erat et mundus per ipsum factus est et mundus eum non cognovit
11	He came unto his own: and his own received him not.	in propria venit et sui eum non receperunt
12	But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.	quotquot autem receperunt eum dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri his qui credunt in nomine eius
13	Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.	qui non ex sanguinibus neque ex voluntate carnis neque ex voluntate viri sed ex Deo nati sunt
14	And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.	et Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis et vidimus gloriam eius gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiae et veritatis
15	John beareth witness of him and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me is preferred before me: because he was before me.	Iohannes testimonium perhibet de ipso et clamat dicens hic erat quem dixi vobis qui post me venturus est ante me factus est quia prior me erat
16	And of his fulness we all have received: and grace for grace.	et de plenitudine eius nos omnes accepimus et gratiam pro gratia
17	For the law was given by Moses: grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.	quia lex per Mosen data est gratia et veritas per Iesum Christum facta est
18	No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the Bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.	Deum nemo vidit umquam unigenitus Filius qui est in sinu Patris ipse enarravit

From: Isaiah 52:7-10

The Messenger of Peace

[7] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings
good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good,
who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” [8]
Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. [9] Break
forth.together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the
Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. [10] The
Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and
all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

[11] Depart, depart, go out thence, touch no unclean thing; go out
from the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of
the Lord. [12] For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go
in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will
be your rear guard.

Commentary:

52:7-12. Salvation is approaching; it has reached the gates of Zion,
and its herald is the messenger “who publishes salvation” (v. 7),
proclaiming that the Lord is returning to his holy city, like a
victorious king coming back with his men, having redeemed them from their
captors (vv. 7-8). This victory parade includes songs of joy extolling
the salvation brought about by the Lord, and also a pressing call to
purification, to ensure that those who welcome the Lord are worthy to
form part of his holy company (vv. 11-12). These verses form the
famous poem of the “messenger of peace” who “brings good tidings”. The
ideas of the first oracle of this second part of the book (40:1-11)
are repeated here very beautifully. The messenger’s feet are
praised--a symbol of his speed and surefootedness when crossing the
mountains, which is where important news comes from (ci. 40:9). His
message (v. 7) is described very significantly as involving “peace”,
which in Isaiah means safety in Israel after the hardships of exile;
“good tidings” or, more literally, “news of goodness and well-being”,
that is, genuine material and spiritual prosperity; and “salvation”,
which is permanent renewal on all levels. The three words read
together mean the highest degree of happiness imaginable. The core of
this message is the enthronement of God: “Your God reigns," similar to
40:9: “Behold your God.” What is new about this poem is that it
depicts God as the king of Zion (cf. 24:23). The kingdom of God is
sublime; and only analogically is it comparable to earthly kingdoms,
as can be seen in the psalms of divine kingship (Ps 47:8; 93:1; 96:10;
97:1), and, much more fully; in the New Testament, which records
Jesus’ preaching centered on the Kingdom of God.

As in a stage play, the arrival of the messenger, which is really the
same thing as the arrival of God as king on Zion, causes the watchmen
to raise shouts of joy that resound across the city (v. 8). Those
whose job it was to give warning of any threat now provoke unconfined
joy because of the “return of the Lord to Zion” (v. 8; Ezek 43:1-5).

In a beautiful personification, the “waste places of Jerusalem” are
called to join in the watchmen’s song (v. 9). The restoration has
come, and the credit must go to the Lord, for he has bared his holy
arm a symbol of vigorous action, as in the time of the exodus (v. 10;
ci. 40:10, 5 1:9; Ps 98:1).

The short hymn at the end (vv. 11-12) is an exhortation to be cleansed
from every trace of Babylonian idolatry and to follow the Lord’s path,
who, in the early trek through the wilderness (cf. Ex 13:21-22),
travels at the head of the company and is also its rearguard.

St Paul quotes the words of v. 7 in Romans 10:15 when he is making the
point that preaching is necessary if the Gospel is to be spread. So,
they are an abiding call to apostolate.

The words of this oracle (especially v. 11) have also been applied by
Christian tradition to those who have pastoral responsibilities: "A
pastor should be a man whose thoughts are pure and purified. No stain
should mar the character of the man who holds the office of pastor;
thus shall he be able to cleanse the impurity of those in his care.
The one whose work it is to purify stains must have clean hands, to
ensure that, when he seeks to cleanse, he does not soil his charges
more. The prophet says: purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of
the Lord. Those who are entrusted with leading souls along the path of
faith to their eternal home bear the vessels of the Lord. Consider
carefully, then, how pure they must be who have devoted themselves to
the task of bearing living vessels to the eternal Temple” (St Gregory
the Great, "Regula Pastoralis", 2, 2).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.