Gospel for January 26, 2014 , Sunday, 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. Ps 27:1, 4, 13–14 The Lord is my light and my salvation. 1st Reading: Is 8:23 – 9:3 Yet, where there was but anguish, darkness will disappear. He has just afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the future he will confer glory on the way of the sea, on the land beyond the Jordan— the pagans’ Galilee. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. A light has dawned on those who live in the land of the shadow of death. You have enlarged the nation; you have increased their joy. They rejoice before you, as people rejoice at harvest time as they rejoice in dividing the spoil. For the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors, you have broken it as on the day of Midian. 2nd Reading: 1 Cor 1:10–13, 17 I beg of you, brothers, in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord, to agree among yourselves, and do away with divisions; please be perfectly united, with one mind and one judgment. For I heard from people, of Cloe’s house, about your rivalries. What I mean is this: some say, “I am for Paul,” and others: “I am for Apollos,” or “I am for Peter,” or “I am for Christ.” Is Christ divided, or have I, Paul, been crucified for you? Have you been baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim his gospel. And not with beautiful words! That would be like getting rid of the cross of Christ. Gospel: Mt 4:12 – 23 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, a town by the lake of Galilee, at the border of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way, the word of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, crossed by the Road of the Sea; and you, who live beyond the Jordan, Galilee, land of pagans: The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death, a light has shone. From that time on, Jesus began to proclaim his message, “Change your ways: the kingdom of heaven is near.” As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come, follow me; and I will make you fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. At once, they left the boat, and their father, and followed him. Jesus went around all Galilee, teach ing in their synagogues, pro¬claiming the good news of the king¬dom, and curing all kinds of sickness and disease among the people. REFLECTION Reading: John had been arrested. Jesus knew that the likes of him who preached the Kingdom of God would soon be rounded up by the civil authorities for disrupting peace and order. He prudently withdrew to the periphery to escape the heat of civil power concentrated in the center. Reflection: Walking away when the heat becomes unbearable is sometimes the greater part of valor. We cannot stake our all at the initial stage of our work. To do this, we need a tremendous amount of self-awareness and control. We need to be aware of our strengths and deficiencies and control our desire to shortcut ourselves to success by engaging in risky ventures and behaviors. Jesus was fully aware and in control of Himself. He walked away from the short war in order to push His mission long enough to raise a band of brothers who would see to its completion. His calculations paid off. We are where we are because He did not call the fight when it was still premature. Response: When was the last time you walked away from a useless fight, argument or struggle? Things that will not bear fruits are best left alone allowing us to redirect our energy to those that will. Our only payment would be our bruised ego that did not have the last word. Never mind, just go and walk away and you will be the wiser next time when a similar situation comes.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 02:43:46 +0000
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