January 3
Monday after Epiphany
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Parishioners of Holy Cross & Len Smith / Friends & Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
1 John 3:22–4:6
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.
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.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 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.
Gospel Acclamation
See Matthew 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.
“I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.”
Reflection
Today, we see how faith can lead to repentance. In the first reading from the First Letter of John, we hear that having faith is the most important thing we can possibly attain in our world. We sometimes think of faith as something that just happens, but there are many ways to work on our faith to make it stronger, more resilient, and much more a part of our lives. One really important thing that we can do is to try to spiritually contemplate what God has done in our lives. John tells us that the spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh belongs to God. If we are smart, we will want very much to belong to God. Thus, we can start thinking about the idea that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and lives today in our world as a risen, spiritual being. Let us ponder this concept and submit ourselves to the spiritual process of prayer and contemplation of the Holy and Transcendent being who is Jesus.
In the gospel, we see Jesus actively building up the Kingdom of God by working to fulfill the prophesies of Isaiah. This is an interesting process, because we often think of prophecy as something that is set in stone. One of the great prophecies about Jesus was that he would cure blindness, lameness and sickness, which we see in this Gospel and in others. It is important for us to remember that Jesus is the essence of God’s plan for our salvation, something that began with the beginning of the world. Let us be faithful, letting Jesus cure us of our sicknesses and strengthen our faith.
God bless,
Deacon Dare
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