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Gospel Reading for January 06, 2025 – Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25
GOD IS LOVE
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.
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John’s arrest was the signal for Jesus to start his Ministry. John had already fulfilled his mission of paving the way for him. Thus, when Jesus started his Ministry, the people were more or less, open to him who John described as the “Lamb of God.”
The gospels do not say that Jesus asked the people to bring to him their sick, but that he preached about the Kingdom of heaven, asking them to repent and change their ways. But, as he preached, they brought to him people who were sick with various diseases, even lunatics and those possessed by the devil. His preaching about the Kingdom of heaven had only one message: LOVE. Therefore, healing the sick or helping those who are in need is synonymous to loving, which was probably the reason why the people brought their sick to him even before they discovered he had that much power. As Jesus said in Matthew 25: 40: “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’” Indeed, the focal message of the Gospel is – GOD IS LOVE and this will never change, until the time that Jesus will come again!
Lord, help us to always be mindful and helpful to those who are in need around us!
