Jan 6-11:
Jan 6 Monday: [USA: Saint Andre Bessette, Religious]:
Mt 4: 12-17, 23-25: 12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali, 14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, 23 proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. 24 12 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. 25 And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, 13 Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ mission of preaching and healing in Galilee. He chose that area as the ideal spot because it was the most fertile land in Palestine. In addition, it was the most populated area, with 204 villages around the Sea of Galilee housing Jews and Gentiles. The Jews there belonged to the tribes of Asher, Naphtali and Zebulon. The people were open to new ideas because they had been exposed to various religious beliefs and the culture of traders from all over the known world.
Preaching the Good News: Jesus started preaching the Good News about God the Father and about God’s Kingdom. Since it was God the King’s message, it carried God’s authority and certainty. It was “Good News” because Jesus introduced to his hearers God his Father as a loving, merciful, providing, forgiving Father Who wants to save everyone from the bondage of sin. It was also “Good News” of hope and peace. As a continuation of John’s message, Jesus, too, invited his hearers to repentance and the renewal of their lives. Matthew identified Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry in Galilee as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.
Life message: As Christians we have been given Jesus’ mission to continue. Hence, our exemplary, transparent lives must be our message radiating Christ’s love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble and committed service. (Fr. Tony)
Jan 7 Tuesday: St. Raymond of Peñafort, priest; Mk 6: 34-44:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ miraculous feeding of a great multitude. The story is told in all four Gospels and serves as Jesus’ way of introducing to his hearers a merciful, providing God. This miraculous feeding was meant to remind people of God’s provision of manna in the wilderness and to foreshadow the true Heavenly Bread, which Jesus would offer His followers. Jesus took pity on the growing physical hunger of his listeners as he preached, and he challenged his Apostles to feed them. But they had with them only five loaves of bread and two dried fish. Jesus took these, said a prayer of blessing broke them and asked the Apostles to distribute them till the hungry people were fully satisfied. Since it was mid-April, springtime in Israel, the people could sit comfortably on green grass in their groups of hundreds and fifties as Jesus instructed. After serving a generous meal, the Apostles collected twelve wicker baskets of leftover bread and fish pieces, a vivid proof and reminder of God’s generosity in giving. Life messages: 1) We will not, by ourselves, be able to feed the hungry illions in the world. But today’s Gospel challenges us to do our humble share in alleviating hunger and poverty in our neighborhood. 2) God will amplify our little contributions and reward our good will and generosity. (Fr. Tony)
Jan 8 Wednesday: Lk 4: 14-22:
The Context
Today’s Gospel passage describes how, on a Sabbath, Jesus stood before the people in the synagogue of his hometown, Nazareth, reading and interpreting what Isaiah had prophesied about the Messiah and his mission. Jesus claimed that he was the One sent to bring glad tidings to the poor, liberation to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom for the oppressed language that reflects the Biblical year of Jubilee. To the great amazement and disbelief of his own townsmen, Jesus declared that Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled at that very moment “in their hearing because the prophet was foretelling and describing Jesus’ mission and ministry. Jesus’ mission would be to give liberation to everyone who would listen to his “Good News,” accept it and put it into practice. Luke reports that the initial reaction of the people was surprise at the power and eloquence of this son of their soil.
Life messages: 1) We need to receive Christ’s freedom, live it and pass it on to others: As members of Christ’s Mystical Body, we share in the freeing, saving mission of Jesus. But we are captives of sin. We need Christ to set us free. We are often blinded by our evil habits, addictions and need for financial security. Once we receive true liberation from Christ, we have to share it with those we encounter in our daily lives, families, neighborhoods, parishes and workplaces. 2) We need to let the power of the Holy Spirit fill us, and to be ready to have miracles done through us. Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus performed miracles because he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us be ready to become Spirit-filled instruments of Christ’s saving freedom. Fr. Tony.
Jan 9 Thursday: Mk 6: 45-52: The context: The event presented by today’s Gospel is the scene immediately following Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Sensing the danger of being seized by the people and; made King as the leader of a revolt, Jesus promptly instructed his Apostles to leave the place by boat. He dismissed the crowd and went to the mountain to pray in solitude. A double miracle in the sea: When the Apostles in the boat were several furlongs away from the shore, they faced an unexpected storm on the sea caused by the rush of hot wind from the desert blowing through the gaps of the Golan Heights onto the Sea of Galilee. Recognizing His Apostles’ danger, Jesus went toward their boat, walking on the stormy sea. Jesus calmed the frightened disciples as he approached the boat. As soon as Jesus got into the boat, the storm ceased miraculously, to the great astonishment of the Apostles.
Life messages: 1) Let us approach Jesus with strong Faith in His ability and availability to calm the storms in our lives and in the life of the Church. Church history shows us how Jesus saved his Church from the storms of persecution in the first three centuries, from the storms of heresies in the fifth and sixth centuries, from the storms of moral degradation and the Protestant reformation movement in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and from the storms of clergy sex-abuse scandals in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
2) Let us ask Jesus to protect us when we face storms of strong temptations, storms of doubts about our religious beliefs, and storms of fear, anxiety and worries in our personal lives. Experiencing Jesus’ presence in our lives, let us confess our Faith in him and call out for his help and protection Fr. Tony Jan 10 Friday: Lk 5: 12-16:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus touching a man sick with a severe leprosy and healing him instantly. Biblical “leprosy” rarely indicated Hansen’s disease (leprosy proper); mostly, the term referred to skin diseases like ringworm, psoriasis, leukoderma, vitiligo and some types of skin cancer. The suffering of lepers in Biblical times was chiefly due to the way they were treated by the religious society of the day (Interpreter’s Bible). They were deemed unclean, unfit to be counted among a people who considered themselves “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Ex 19:6). “Leprosy” was also a terrible disease because its victims were separated from their families and society. Besides, lepers were treated as sinners deserving no mercy because they were seen as being punished by God with their contagious disease. The leprosy given by God as a punishment to Miriam, the complaining sister of Moses, to Gehazi, the greedy servant of the prophet Elijah and to the proud the King Uzziah, supported the Jewish belief that leprosy was God’s punishment for sins. Mosaic restrictions on lepers: The Mosaic Law, as given in Leviticus, demanded that, first, the priest declare the leper unclean, and then that the leper a) keep his garments rent and his head bare, b) muffle his beard, c) cry out, Unclean, unclean and d) dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp. As a general rule, when a Jewish leper was healed, he had to go to the local priest for confirmation that he was now clean and was permitted to mix with the general public.
Life Messages: 1) The strong faith of the sick man prompted him to violate the Mosaic Law prohibiting him from joining a crowd and approaching Jesus. The sympathy and mercy of Jesus prompted Jesus to violate the Mosaic Law which forbade anyone to touch an untouchable leper. Thus, Jesus teaches the lesson that the essence of Christianity is to touch the untouchable, to love the unlovable, and to forgive the unforgivable.
2) By sending the cured man to the priests to get their certification of his freedom from disease, Jesus teaches us that we should pray for healing and, at the same time, go to the doctors who share God’s wisdom in healing. Healing normally happens when man’s skill combines with God’s grace. (Fr. Tony)
Jan 11 Saturday: Jn 3: 22-30:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage shows the loveliness of John the Baptist’s humility. John was responding to his disciples who complained that many among them were deserting John to join the new preacher, Jesus, whom John had baptized. John’s explanation: John told them plainly who he really was and what his mission was. He told them that he was only a forerunner of the Messiah and that his mission was to prepare a people for the Messiah by preaching repentance. He was challenging his hearers to receive the baptism of repentance as their first step in renewing their lives, so they could welcome Jesus the Messiah into their lives. John explained further that his role was to be the “friend of the bridegroom” (shoshben), Jesus. As the shoshben arranges the meeting of the bride and groom, arranges the details of the wedding, presides over the wedding, guards the bridal chamber and leaves happily, John prepared the bride, namely, the Jewish nation for receiving her bridegroom, Jesus the Messiah, by baptizing the people who were willing to repent and then baptizing Jesus and introducing him to the people as the “Lamb of God.”
Life messages: 1) Our mission, as St. Francis de Sales puts it, is to “bloom where you are planted.” God has given a unique mission to each one of us, and we are expected to accomplish that unique mission by receiving God’s strength through the various means Jesus has instituted in his Church. No one can receive anything except what has been given from Heaven.” 2) True humility and trusting faith in God are necessary for us to accomplish our life’s mission by using God’s freely given gifts. (Fr. Tony)
