First reading 1 John 3:22-4:6
The Son of God has come and given us the power to know the true God
Whatever we ask God,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.
It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust;
test them, to see if they come from God,
there are many false prophets, now, in the world.
You can tell the spirits that come from God by this:
every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh
is from God;
but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus
is not from God,
but is the spirit of Antichrist,
whose coming you were warned about.
Well, now he is here, in the world.
Children,
you have already overcome these false prophets,
because you are from God and you have in you
one who is greater than anyone in this world;
as for them, they are of the world,
and so they speak the language of the world
and the world listens to them.
But we are children of God,
and those who know God listen to us;
those who are not of God refuse to listen to us.
This is how we can tell
the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
Responsorial Psalm 2:7-8,10-11
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.””
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.
I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
Gospel Matthew 4:12-17,23-25
The people that lived in darkness have seen a great light
Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.
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To repent and to love
In today’s gospel, Jesus told the people, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.” This call resonates with us today, inviting us to pause and examine ourselves to identify and turn away from behaviours, choices and attitudes that obstruct our path to align our lives with God’s will. God desires for us to live a life rich in love – an authentic and self-giving love. Let us take a moment to recognise the occasions when we have loved and extended kindness to others and the times when we may have missed the mark in our capacity to love fully. When we choose to love, we bring God’s kingdom to this world.
In the Gospel, we see Jesus loving the people by tirelessly teaching and healing throughout Galilee. Today, Jesus relies on us to be His agents in spreading the Good News and bringing healing by restoring hope and peace to those around us.
Reflective question:
What is one obstacle in me that prevents me from loving like Jesus?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
