4 JANUARY 2021 MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

 

4 JANUARY 2021

MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

INTRODUCTION:

Today the mother Church remembers St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821). She was born in New York into an Episcopalian family, who ostracized her and left her penniless when she became a catholic in 1805. She had to leave New York and in 1808-9 she founded a religious community and a school for poor children at Emmitsburg, near Baltimore in Maryland. She died in 1821 but the sisters of Charity continue her work to this day.

LESSONS FROM THE SCRIPTURE

FIRST READING: 1 John 3:22-4:6

In the first reading of today, St. John reminds us saying that if we keep God’s commandments and do what pleases him, he will grant whatever we ask from him. It is his commandment that we should love one another and that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Whoever keeps his commandment abides in God and God in him. St. John is reminding us to be careful of the false prophets. He also says that he who is inside us is greater than who is outside. St. John is reminding us that the false prophets belong to the world, they speak worldly things and the world listens to them. But we are from God. Whoever is from God will listen to God and his prophets, apostles and his minsters. Whoever is not from God will not listen to God’s ministers. From this we can come to know whether a person is following the spirit of truth or the spirit of error.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 2: 7-8,10-11

R/ “I will give you the nations as your inheritance”

GOSPEL READING:  Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

In today’s Gospel reading St. Mathew narrated to us about the arrest of John the Baptist by king Herod. Hearing this Jesus withdrew himself into Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, Jesus went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. From that time Jesus began to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues the most important institution in the life of any Jew and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing all dieses and every affliction among the people. His fame spread among the people. People brought many sick people and those who were possessed by demons and Jesus healed them all.

MESSAGES FOR OUR DAILY LIVING

1. We are asked to fulfill God’s commandments and the precepts of the church. God has given us the 10 commandments. These commandments are the basics of our catholic life. When we obey his commandments, we abide in God and God abides in us. At the close of the day, we need to examine our conscience based on the 10 commandments and ask pardon from the Lord if we have violated any one of the commandments of God.
2. We are asked to do what pleases God. In our daily life we tend to please people rather than please God. That’s the reason why we don’t get from God whatever we ask from him.
3. We are asked to love one another. We are asked to love our neighbors. Jesus says: “love your enemies”.
4. We are asked to believe in the holy name of Jesus. There is great power in the holy name of Jesus. We must repeat the name of Jesus often. It will help us to be in communion with God.
5. There are so many false prophets in our midst who pass on to us false and erroneous teachings. We need to refute false prophets by our correct knowledge of God and the teachings of the church. This invites us to spend time with God and reading of the Word of God, to participate in religious seminars and discussions.
6. St. John says that the one who is inside us is greater than the one who is outside us. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in us. The Holy Spirit is inside us and he is greater than the evil spirit, or the enemy of the soul who is outside us. This knowledge and awareness must give us hope, courage and determination to live our catholic life well.
7. We are from God. We belong to God. We do not belong to the world. We are in the world but not of the world. And so we need to listen to God and not to the world or worldly people. We need to imbibe values and teachings of God and not of the world. We should not be attached to the world and world things.
8. By our behavior, by our way of life, people will come to know whether we are following the spirit of truth or the evil spirit or spirit of error.
9. Jesus went about teaching the people in the synagogues and dispelling their ignorance. He also proclaimed the Good News about the kingdom of God. He asked the people to repent because the kingdom of God is close at hand.
10. Jesus healed so many people from their sicknesses. We need to trust him and surrender to him so that he will heal us and make us whole.
11. Jesus also cured people who were possessed by evil spirit.  The evil one is always behind us to make us commit sin and be deprived of the grace of God. We need to put our complete trust in God who has power over every evil spirit.