Monday January 7, 2019
Introduction
The gospel of today speaks of the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry. He preaches his gospel of repentance-conversion first to the semi-pagan Jews of Galilee: he becomes their light.
The signs that the kingdom of God has begun with him are that the sick are cured, that he goes to the poor and the suffering. John says in the first reading that our love of neighbor and our obedience to the commandments will also be signs that the kingdom has come among us.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your kingdom began to take shape
when your Son showed his care for the sick
and for all those who suffer.
Help us to love people and to care for them,
especially for the poor, the dispossessed,
and the misfits of life.
Let this be the sign
that his Spirit is working in us
and that your Son is present among us,
he who is our Lord for ever.
Reading 1: 1 Jn 3:22–4:6
Beloved:
We receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit whom he gave us.
Beloved, do not trust every spirit
but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
This is how you can know the Spirit of God:
every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh
belongs to God,
and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus
does not belong to God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist
who, as you heard, is to come,
but in fact is already in the world.
You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them,
for the one who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.
They belong to the world;
accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world,
and the world listens to them.
We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us,
while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us.
This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a
R. (8ab) I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession."
R. I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
Alleluia See Mt 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mt 4:12-17, 23-25
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
"Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand."
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
His fame spread to all of Syria,
and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases
and racked with pain,
those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics,
and he cured them.
And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Intercessions
– That the people of God may be in this world like a great light shining in the darkness, as men and women committed to a better world of compassion and mercy, we pray:
– That the leaders of the world may bring rays of hope into the lives of those who suffer by giving justice to the oppressed and human dignity to every person, we pray:
– That those who search and grope in life may discover Christ as the answer to their quest for love, goodness and truth, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
the bread and wine on this table
express that we are ready
to let your kingdom grow among us.
Give us the Spirit of your Son
to share our possessions and ourselves
with the less fortunate,
not in a spirit of condescension
but as your people,
to whom every poor person
appears with the face of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
let the gospel of your Son Jesus Christ
bear fruit among us, ordinary people.
Let your Son be the light
that brightens our lives
and do not allow us to hide its luster
from the people around us.
May they recognize him
in the simplicity of our love
and in our care for one another,
that with our help he may be seen and experienced
in this world as our Lord for ever.
Blessing
Jesus commanded us to love one another and he himself was our model by healing those who were sick and in pain. May we continue his work, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Up to this point in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ time has been largely spent in Judea, with the emphasis falling on his Davidic credentials (Bethlehem). It is in the northern region of Galilee (Capernaum) that his ministry begins. The author employs the words of Isaiah addressed centuries before to the two northern tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. In the early part of the first millennium BC, these two tribes were overrun by Assyrian forces and were largely decimated. When Isaiah spoke of the new era to come, he spoke consolingly to these two tribes and assured them of a brighter future. For Matthew, that time has arrived with the coming of Jesus.
Jesus’ first preaching tour takes him through much of Galilee. While he is involved in preaching and teaching, the major emphasis here falls on his healing ministry. People with a variety of illnesses were brought to him. Jesus performs his wonders with a great deal of solicitude for people racked with pain. This inevitably attracts a large amount of attention, but Jesus’ intention is clearly to bring help to those in need.
It is aptly said that a Christian is never more so than when he or she is assisting others. There are many people who do not believe that they have the strength to cope with another day. How meaningful it is for us to be present to them. Such acts of charity have immeasurable consequences.
The letter of John reminds us again today that to deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is to separate ourselves from God. This is but to say that there are certain truths of our faith that are immutable. The incarnation is one of them. Jesus was not merely a good man. Nor did he simply seem to be a man. As John states, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us” John 1:14). This is the central belief of our faith.
Points to Ponder
Homiletic helps
The reality of the incarnation
Healing the brokenhearted
With faith, light has arisen.
