St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious 

*** 1st Reading ***

1 John 3:22 – 4:6

Then whatever we ask we shall receive,

Since we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

 His command is that we believe in the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another, as he has commanded us.  Whoever keeps his commands remains in God and God in him. It is by the Spirit God has given us that we know he lives in us.

 My beloved, do not trust every inspiration. Test the spirits to see whether they come from God, because many false prophets are now in the world.  How will you recognize the spirit of God?

Any spirit recognizing Jesus as the Christ who has taken our flesh is of God. But any spirit that does not recognize Jesus is not from God, it is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard of his coming and even now he is in the world.

 You, my dear children, are of God and you have already overcome these people, because the one who is in you is more powerful than he who is in the world.  They are of the world and the world inspires them and those of the world listen to them.

We are of God and those who know God listen to us, but those who are not of God ignore us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error as well.

 

Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a

I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.

 

**** Gospel ****

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to settle down 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 by the Jordan, Galilee, land of pagans, listen:

 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.”

 Jesus went around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and curing all kinds of sickness and disease among the people.

 The news about him spread through the whole of Syria, and the people brought all their sick to him, and all those who suffered: the possessed, the deranged, the paralyzed, and he healed them all. Large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Ten Cities, from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan.

 

Gospel Reflection

Life becomes harder for those who have awakened the voice of prophecy. John has been temporarily silenced. It would be foolhardy for those following the same path to challenge authority this early.

Jesus took the better part of valor. He was prudent instead of being reckless. Thus He withdrew to the peripheries to strengthen the movement was about to inaugurate and which John the Baptist prepared the way.

He stepped backward, in order for Him to take two steps forward later. Withdrawing does not always mean defeat. Recklessness must be tempered with prudence. Meanwhile, a storm is gradually rising in the confines of Israel. The powers that be unaware will contend with this Jesus movement in the not so distant future.