Monday After Epiphany
Lectionary: 212
Lectionary: 212
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.
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.
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
PsalmPS 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.
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.
AlleluiaMT 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 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:
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.”
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.
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.
For the readings of
the Optional Memorial of Saint André Bessette, please go here.
Meditation: From darkness and death to light and
life
Do
you know the joy and freedom of the good news (Gospel) of the
kingdom of God? John the Baptist's enemies had sought to silence him, but the
good news of God's kingdom of salvation cannot be silenced. As soon as John had
finished his testimony Jesus began his in Galilee. Galilee was at the
crossroads of the world and much traffic passed through this little region. It
had been assigned to the tribes of Asher, Naptali and Zebulum when the Israelites
first came into the land (see Joshua 9). For a long time it had been under
Gentile occupation (non-Jewish nations).
Jesus
brings the light and truth of salvation to the world
The prophet Isaiah foretold that the good news of salvation would reach Jews and Gentiles in the "land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations" (Isaiah 9:1). Jesus begins the proclamation of the Gospel here to fulfill the word of God. The Old Testament prophets spoke of God's promise to send a Redeemer who would establish God's rule. That time is now fulfilled in Jesus who brings the light and truth of the Gospel to the world.
The prophet Isaiah foretold that the good news of salvation would reach Jews and Gentiles in the "land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations" (Isaiah 9:1). Jesus begins the proclamation of the Gospel here to fulfill the word of God. The Old Testament prophets spoke of God's promise to send a Redeemer who would establish God's rule. That time is now fulfilled in Jesus who brings the light and truth of the Gospel to the world.
The
"good news" brings peace, hope, truth, promise, immortality, and
salvation
Jesus takes up John's message of repentance and calls his hearers to believe in the good news he has come to deliver. What is the good news which Jesus brings? It is the good news of peace - the Lord comes to reconcile and restore us to friendship with God. The good news of hope - the Lord comes to dwell with us and to give us a home with him in his heavenly kingdom. The good news of truth - the Lord Jesus sets us free from the lies and deception of Satan and opens our mind to understand the truth and revelation of God's word (John 8:32). The good news of promise - Jesus fulfills the promise of God to reward those who seek him with the treasure of heaven. The good news of immortality - Jesus overcomes sin and death for us in order to raise our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body which will never die again. And the good news of salvation - the Lord Jesus delivers us from every fear, every sin, and every obstacle that would keep us from entering his everlasting kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy.
Jesus takes up John's message of repentance and calls his hearers to believe in the good news he has come to deliver. What is the good news which Jesus brings? It is the good news of peace - the Lord comes to reconcile and restore us to friendship with God. The good news of hope - the Lord comes to dwell with us and to give us a home with him in his heavenly kingdom. The good news of truth - the Lord Jesus sets us free from the lies and deception of Satan and opens our mind to understand the truth and revelation of God's word (John 8:32). The good news of promise - Jesus fulfills the promise of God to reward those who seek him with the treasure of heaven. The good news of immortality - Jesus overcomes sin and death for us in order to raise our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body which will never die again. And the good news of salvation - the Lord Jesus delivers us from every fear, every sin, and every obstacle that would keep us from entering his everlasting kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy.
The
Gospel is the power and the wisdom of God - both power to change and transform
our lives and wisdom to show us how to live as sons and daughters of our Father
in heaven. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the Lord makes it possible for
us to receive his word with faith and to act upon it with trust and obedience.
The
Gospel demands a response of faith and obedience to God's gift of salvation
In announcing the good news, Jesus makes two demands: repent and believe! Repentance requires a change of course - a turning away from sin and disobedience and a turning towards the Lord with faith and submission to his word of truth and righteousness (right living according to God's truth and moral goodness). The Holy Spirit gives us a repentant heart, a true sorrow and hatred for sin and its bad consequences (the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23), and a firm resolution to avoid whatever would lead us into sin. The Holy Spirit gives us grace to see our sin for what it is - rebellion and a rejection of the love of God. God's grace helps us to turn away from all that would keep us from his love.
In announcing the good news, Jesus makes two demands: repent and believe! Repentance requires a change of course - a turning away from sin and disobedience and a turning towards the Lord with faith and submission to his word of truth and righteousness (right living according to God's truth and moral goodness). The Holy Spirit gives us a repentant heart, a true sorrow and hatred for sin and its bad consequences (the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23), and a firm resolution to avoid whatever would lead us into sin. The Holy Spirit gives us grace to see our sin for what it is - rebellion and a rejection of the love of God. God's grace helps us to turn away from all that would keep us from his love.
Faith
or belief is an entirely free gift which God makes to us. Believing is only
possible by grace and the help of the Holy Spirit who moves the heart and
converts it to God. The Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the mind
and makes it possible for us to accept and to grow in our understanding of the
truth. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit we can know God personally and the
truth he reveals to us through his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To
believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior is to accept God's revelation of his Son
as the eternal Word of God and the Redeemer who delivers us from the tyranny of
sin, Satan, and death. God the Father made the supreme sacrifice of his Son on
the cross to atone for our sins and to bring us back to himself.
Do
you want to grow in the knowledge of God's love and truth? Ask the Holy Spirit
to renew in you the gift of faith, the love of wisdom, and the heart of a
disciple who desires to follow the Lord Jesus and his will for your life.
"Lord
Jesus, your ways are life and light! Let your word penetrate my heart and
transform my mind that I may see your power and glory. Help me to choose your
ways and to do what is pleasing to you."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The true light of revelation to the
Gentiles, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"The
Evangelist commemorated in this passage the prophet's words: 'Beyond the
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a
great light' (Matthew 4:15-16) In what darkness? Certainly in the profound
error of ignorance. What great light did they see? The light concerning which
it is written: 'He was the true light that illumines everyone who comes into
this world' (John 1:9) This was the light about which the just man Simeon in
the Gospel declared, 'A light of revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for
your people Israel' (Luke 2:32). That light had arisen according to what David
had announced, saying, 'A light has arisen in the darkness to the upright of
heart' (Psalm 112:4).
"Also,
Isaiah demonstrated that light about to come for the enlightenment of the
church when he said, 'Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of
the Lord has risen upon you' (Isaiah 60:1). Concerning that light also Daniel
noted, 'It reveals the profound and hidden things, knowing those things which
are in darkness and the light is with it' (Daniel 2:22), that is, the Son with
the Father, for even as the Father is light, so too is the Son light. And David
also speaks in the psalm: 'In your light shall we see light' (Psalm 36:9), for
the Father is seen in the Son, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel: 'Who sees
me, sees the Father' (John 14:9) From the true light, indeed, the true light
proceeded, and from the invisible the visible. "He is the image of the
invisible God," as the apostle notes (Colossians 1:15)." (excerpt
from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 15.1)
[Note:
Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was
a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described
him as a "most learned and most holy man."]
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, MATTHEW 4:12-17, 23-25
Christmas Weekday
(1 John 3:22―4:6; Psalm 2)
Christmas Weekday
(1 John 3:22―4:6; Psalm 2)
KEY VERSE: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (v. 17).
TO KNOW: After Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist, Jesus withdrew from Nazareth in the region of Zebulun, and moved north to Capernaum in the region of Naphtali. Matthew saw this move as fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy to the northern territories of Zebulun and Napthali, which were the first to be devastated at the time of the Assyrian conquest (733-32 BCE). This land of the Gentiles had been in darkness, but would now see a "great light" (Is 8:23-9:1). Matthew observed that Jesus' fame "spread throughout all Syria" (Mt 4:24). His gospel may have been written from Antioch in Syria, so this note would have been important to his readers. Through Jesus' words and works, the restoration of all of God's people had begun. As Jesus went about healing and teaching the people, he continued the proclamation of John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v 17). Those who heard his call for conversion were invited to change their lives by turning away from sin (Hebrew, shub), and turning toward God (Greek, metanoia).
TO LOVE: How can I bring the light of Christ to others today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to turn from the darkness of sin toward your healing light.
Optional
Memorial of Saint André Bessette, religious
Brother André Bessette was a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He humbly served the Lord as a doorkeeper at Notre Dame College, Montreal, and as a Sacristan, a laundry worker and a messenger. André — who battled sickness for much of his own life —devoted his life to prayer, comforting the sick through his intercessory prayers to Saint Joseph. Many received God’s healing graces, and the word of his power spread. When an epidemic broke out at a nearby college, André volunteered to help. No one died. The trickle of sick people to his door became a flood and, up to his death in 1937, he was receiving 80,000 letters each year from those who were ill and sought his prayers for healing. On Oct. 17, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Holy Cross’s first saint, André Bessette.
Monday 6 January 2020
1 John 3:22-4:6. Psalm 2:7-8, 10-11. Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25.
I will give you all the nations for your heritage – Psalm 2:7-8, 10-11
I will give you all the nations for your heritage – Psalm 2:7-8, 10-11
Jacob’s well is a place of rest for Jesus, a sanctuary in the
heat and quiet of the midday sun. Soon he will be asking a Samaritan woman for
a drink of water and talking about living water.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has arrived in Capernaum by the sea
of Galilee. The quiet expanse of this body of water across the river Jordan is
the backdrop for his ministry. There is a tide-like movement of Jesus towards
to the people and the people towards him. He shares good news—and good news
travels fast, like a rapid-flowing river. Soon people who are diseased or
disturbed come or are brought to Jesus. People who thirst for
healing and wholeness seek him out. Jesus is teacher, baptiser, healer and
proclaimer of good news. Then as now, Jesus offers living water and his message
is a light which guides us in darkness. We contemplate the hope-filled symbols
of water and light.
Saint André Bessette
Saint of the Day for January 6
(August 9, 1845 – January 6, 1937)
Saint André Bessette’s Story
Brother André expressed a saint’s faith by a lifelong devotion
to Saint Joseph.
Sickness and weakness dogged André from birth. He was the eighth
of 12 children born to a French Canadian couple near Montreal. Adopted at 12,
when both parents had died, he became a farmhand. Various trades followed:
shoemaker, baker, blacksmith—all failures. He was a factory worker in the
United States during the boom times of the Civil War.
At 25, André applied for entrance into the Congregation of Holy
Cross. After a year’s novitiate, he was not admitted because of his weak
health. But with an extension and the urging of Bishop Bourget, he was finally
received. He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in
Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger.
“When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained
40 years,” he said.
In his little room near the door, he spent much of the night on
his knees. On his windowsill, facing Mount Royal, was a small statue of
Saint Joseph, to whom he had been devoted since childhood. When asked
about it he said, “Some day, Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very
special way on Mount Royal!”
When he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring cheer and to
pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person lightly with oil taken
from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing powers began to
spread.
When an epidemic broke out at a nearby college, André
volunteered to nurse. Not one person died. The trickle of sick people to his
door became a flood. His superiors were uneasy; diocesan authorities were
suspicious; doctors called him a quack. “I do not cure,” he said again and again.
“Saint Joseph cures.” In the end he needed four secretaries to handle the
80,000 letters he received each year.
For many years the Holy Cross authorities had tried to buy land
on Mount Royal. Brother André and others climbed the steep hill and planted medals
of Saint Joseph. Suddenly, the owners yielded. André collected $200 to
build a small chapel and began receiving visitors there—smiling through long
hours of listening, applying Saint Joseph’s oil. Some were cured, some
not. The pile of crutches, canes and braces grew.
The chapel also grew. By 1931, there were gleaming walls, but
money ran out. “Put a statue of Saint Joseph in the middle. If he wants a
roof over his head, he’ll get it.” The magnificent Oratory on Mount Royal took
50 years to build. The sickly boy who could not hold a job died at 92.
He is buried at the Oratory. He was beatified in 1982 and
canonized in 2010. At his canonization in October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said
that Saint Andre “lived the beatitude of the pure of heart.”
Reflection
Rubbing ailing limbs with oil or a medal? Planting a medal to
buy land? Isn’t this superstition? Aren’t we long past that? Superstitious
people rely only on the “magic” of a word or action. Brother André’s oil and
medals were authentic sacramentals of a simple, total faith in the Father who
lets his saints help him bless his children.
Lectio Divina: Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
Lectio Divina
Monday, January 6, 2020
Christmas Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord, let the light of Your glory shine within us,
and lead us through the darkness of this world
to the radiant joy of our eternal home.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
and lead us through the darkness of this world
to the radiant joy of our eternal home.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 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.
3) Reflection
• Some brief information on the objective of the Gospel of
Matthew: The Gospel of Matthew was written during the second half of the first
century in order to encourage the small and fragile community of converted Jews
who lived in the region of Galilee and Syria. They suffered persecution and
threats on the part of the Jewish brothers because they had accepted Jesus as
the Messiah and for having received the pagans. In order to strengthen them in
their faith, the Gospel of Matthew insists on saying that Jesus is really the
Messiah and that the salvation which Jesus comes to bring is not only for the
Jews, but for all of humanity. At the beginning of his Gospel, in the
genealogy, Matthew already indicates this universal vocation of Jesus, because
being “son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1, 17) He will be a source of blessings for all
the nations of the world” (cf. Gen 12:3). In the visit of the Magi, who came
from the East, he suggests once again that salvation is addressed to the pagans
(Mt 2:1-12). In the text of today’s Gospel, he shows that the light which
shines in the “Galilee of the Gentiles” shines also outside the frontiers of
Israel, in the Decapolis and beyond the Jordan (Mt 4:12-25). Further on, in the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will say that the vocation of the Christian
community is that of being “salt of the earth and light of the world” (Mt
5:13-14) and He asks people to love their enemies (Mt 5:43-48). Jesus is the
servant of God who announces the rights of the nations (Mt 12:18). Helped by
the Canaanite woman, Jesus Himself overcomes the barriers of race (Mt
15:21-28). He also overcomes the laws of purity which prevented the Gospel from
being opened to the pagans (Mt 15:1-20). And finally, when Jesus sends His
disciples to all nations, the universality of salvation is even clearer (Mt
28:19-20). In the same way, the communities are called to open themselves to
all, without excluding anyone, because all are called to live as sons and
daughters of God.
• Today’s Gospel describes how this universal mission is an
initiative. The news of the imprisonment of John the Baptist impels Jesus to
begin His preaching. John had said, “Repent, because the Kingdom of God is at
hand!” (Mt 3:2). This was the reason why he was imprisoned by Herod. When Jesus
knew that John had been imprisoned, He returned to Galilee proclaiming the same
message: “Repent, because the Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Mt 4:17). In other
words, from the beginning, the preaching of the Gospel involved risks, but
Jesus did not allow Himself to be frightened. In this way, Matthew encourages
the communities which were running the same risks of persecution. He quotes
from Isaiah: “The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light!” Like
Jesus, the communities are also called to be “the light of nations!”
• Jesus began the announcement of the Good News by going through
the whole of Galilee. He does not stop, waiting for the people to arrive, but
He goes to the people. He Himself participates in the meetings, and in the
synagogues, to announce His message. The people bring the sick and the
possessed, and Jesus accepts all and cures them. This service to the sick forms
part of the Good News and reveals to the people the presence of the Kingdom.
• Thus, the fame of Jesus is spread throughout all the region,
going beyond the frontier of Galilee, penetrates Judah, reaches Jerusalem, goes
beyond the Jordan and reaches Syria and the Decapolis. In this region there are
also some communities for whom Matthew was writing his Gospel. Now they know
that in spite of all the difficulties and the risks, there is already the light
which shines in the darkness.
4) Personal questions
• Are you also light for others?
• Today many close themselves up in the Catholic religion. How
can we live the universality of salvation?
• “Repent” is a common phrase heard in Christian discussions.
What does this really mean? Take some time to examine the meaning of “repent”
and its forms, and what it means personally.
5) Concluding prayer
I will proclaim the decree of Yahweh:
He said to me, "You are My son,
today have I fathered you." (Ps 2:7)
He said to me, "You are My son,
today have I fathered you." (Ps 2:7)
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