3rd January, Monday after Epiphany

 3rd January, Monday after Epiphany

Do not trust every spirit; Test each spirit to see if it is of God.

1 John 3: 22-4:6; mt 4:12-17;23-25

 In May 1981, a man was accused of killing eight prostitutes. He said he was acting on orders from God. About a month later Mark Chapman, the killer of John Lennon, said God told him to drop his defence and plead guilty to the slaying. These are just two examples of people who claim they have been told by God to do certain things. If John were here today, he would remind them of what he wrote in today's reading: “Do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God.” 

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Have we ever felt called by God to do something? Did we “test the spirit” by seeking the counsel of our pastor or some other spiritual person? "No prophetic message ever came just from the will of man, but men were under the control of the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God.” 2 Peter 1:21

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 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 neighbour and our obedience to the commandments will also be signs that the kingdom has come among us.

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In every hospital, there is an A&E Department. As the name indicates, it is where accidents victims are sent to and emergencies cases are attended to. The images that we can imagine are probably what we have seen in movies, or if we have been there, we would know what the place is like. 

For example, it could be an old lady with an ECG monitor, a man in oxygen mask, a young mother grieving over the death of her child, etc.  The underlying question of the patients and their loved ones seemed to be this: Why is this happening to me? This is also the same question that we will ask when we ourselves become ill or when our loved ones become seriously ill. 

On this Monday after Epiphany, the gospel proclaims to us that in Jesus, we see God our healer. But physical illness and suffering can be alleviated by medicine. A greater suffering is the suffering of the heart, an emotional and a spiritual kind of suffering. That kind of suffering and pain can only be addressed with the healing that Jesus came to bring. 

The prophecy of Isaiah gives us an idea of what is this kind of healing when it says: 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. 

In other words, Jesus the true Light shines on us to heal our broken and hurting hearts so that we can get up and walk in the light of love. The healing light of Christ continues to shine in the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. Let us open our hearts with confidence in the light that God our Healer wants to give us.

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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 forever. Amen