Do not trust every
spirit:
Test each spirit to see if it is of God.
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 defense 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.”
****
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 12:
****
There
was a long-running medical drama series on tv called E.R. It presents the life
of doctors and patients in the emergency room. It is not just about the work
and the personal lives of the doctors but also the anguish and misery of
patients in the hospital. For eg, 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? What is happening to my loved one?
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. It continues to shine when we pray for others in
their distress
Let us open our hearts with
confidence in the light that God our Healer wants to give us, and let us be
witnesses of His healing love for us.
****
Monday After Epiphany
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR
Introduction: 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 neighbor
and our obedience to the commandments will also be signs that the kingdom has
come among us.
Opening 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 for ever.
Commentary: Up
to this point in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ time has been largely spent in Judea,
with the emphasis falling on his Davidic credentials (Bethlehem). It is in the
northern region of Galilee (Capernaum) that his ministry begins. The author
employs the words of Isaiah addressed centuries before to the two northern
tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. In the early part of the first millennium BC,
these two tribes were overrun by Assyrian forces and were largely decimated.
When Isaiah spoke of the new era to come, he spoke consolingly to these two
tribes and assured them of a brighter future. For Matthew, that time has
arrived with the coming of Jesus. Jesus’ first preaching tour takes him through
much of Galilee. While he is involved in preaching and teaching, the major
emphasis here falls on his healing ministry. People with a variety of illnesses
were brought to him. Jesus performs his wonders with a great deal of solicitude
for people racked with pain. This inevitably attracts a large amount of
attention, but Jesus’ intention is clearly to bring help to those in need. It
is aptly said that a Christian is never more so than when he or she is
assisting others. There are many people who do not believe that they have the
strength to cope with another day. How meaningful it is for us to be present to
them. Such acts of charity have immeasurable consequences. The letter of John
reminds us again today that to deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is to
separate ourselves from God. This is but to say that there are certain truths
of our faith that are immutable. The incarnation is one of them. Jesus was not
merely a good man. Nor did he simply seem to be a man. As John states, “And the
Word became flesh and lived among us” John 1:14). This is the central belief of
our faith.
Points to Ponder:
Homiletic helps
The reality of the incarnation
Healing the broken-hearted
With faith, light has arisen.
- That the
people of God may be in this world like a great light shining in the darkness,
as men and women committed to a better world of compassion and mercy, we pray: –
That the leaders of the world may bring rays of hope into the lives of those
who suffer by giving justice to the oppressed and human dignity to every
person, we pray: – That those who search and grope in life may discover Christ
as the answer to their quest for love, goodness and truth, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts: Lord our God, the bread and wine on this
table express that we are ready to let your kingdom grow among us. Give us the
Spirit of your Son to share our possessions and ourselves with the less
fortunate, not in a spirit of condescension but as your people, to whom every
poor person appears with the face of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord for
ever.
Prayer after Communion: Lord our God, let the gospel of your Son
Jesus Christ bear fruit among us, ordinary people. Let your Son be the light that
brightens our lives and do not allow us to hide its luster from the people
around us. May they recognize him in the simplicity of our love and in our care
for one another, that with our help he may be seen and experienced in this world
as our Lord for ever.
Blessing: Jesus
commanded us to love one another and he himself was our model by healing those
who were sick and in pain. May we continue his work, with the blessing of
almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
