Point to Him

The WORD today reminds me that we should always point our lives to Christ.

Everyone loves God. Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to be accomplished. Everyone wants to be respected and looked upon highly. We pray to God for worldly success and accomplishments, however, when we actually get these, some forget who gave us these things in the first place. Some get too engrossed by their achievements or by the praises of other people that they forget who got them there in the first place.

God loves us and wants the best for us, but we should not forget him when things are going so well in our lives.

In the gospel we see who did not forget God. John had a lot of followers already. He got the respect of people. But he did not let these things get on his head. He did not forget his mission in life and why he was doing things in the first place. And when told about a man who might be challenging his popularity and followers, he responded in a humble way – “He must increase, I must decrease” IT is good to be reminded of this humility and focus on God despite all the worldly achievements.

As we focus on God, as we point to him, we become children of God. And the first reading reminds us of the benefit of this - that we will be protected by God and the evil one cannot touch us. This should inspire and encourage us to live right and pleasing to Him.

What are the achievements I hold dear in my heart? How did I get these things? Do I recognize God’s help in these things? Do I thank him?

May we never be too proud of what we have accomplished, and remember to point to God when we get praises for good work or achievements, may our live always be about pleasing God, doing his work, his will, and glorifying him – just like John.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another weekend. Thank you for being with me. Lord, sorry for the times I forget you. Sorry for the times I get too proud of myself. help me to not lose sight of you. As I pray for blessings and guidance in life, I also pray that you keep my eyes on you. May I not forget who gave me these blessings and who allowed success to come in my life. May my work, my success, and my life glorify you. May I reflect your greatness and show people how great and loving you are. Amen.

Blessed Weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflections:

https://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2018/01/bring-others-to-christ.html

https://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2016/01/lost-focus.html

Daily Readings

January 11 2020

« January 10  |  January 12 »

Saturday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 217

Reading 1 1 JN 5:14-21

Beloved:
We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours. 
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he will give him life. 
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. 
There is such a thing as deadly sin,
about which I do not say that you should pray. 
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.

We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin;
but the one begotten by God he protects,
and the Evil One cannot touch him. 
We know that we belong to God,
and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One. 
We also know that the Son of God has come
and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. 
And we are in the one who is true,
in his Son Jesus Christ. 
He is the true God and eternal life. 
Children, be on your guard against idols.

Responsorial Psalm PS 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6A AND 9B

R. (see 4a)  The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia MT 4:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 3:22-30

Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea,
where he spent some time with them baptizing. 
John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,
because there was an abundance of water there,
and people came to be baptized,
for John had not yet been imprisoned. 
Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew
about ceremonial washings. 
So they came to John and said to him,
“Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.”
John answered and said,
“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him. 
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. 
So this joy of mine has been made complete. 
He must increase; I must decrease.”

Complete Healing

The WORD today reminds me that God brings complete healing.

The first reading tells us that victors are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Looks weird at first glance. Why would believing in Jesus as the Son of God make one a victor? Well, we see that this is true through the gospel. We see an example of this in the gospel.

During the time of Jesus, lepers were considered outcasts in society. They were unclean, and they were not allowed to mingle with people, so as not to make others unclean as well. Thus, they lived alone and away from the city and the people. This is where the man in the gospel was coming from. We saw how desperate he was – when he kneeled and begged Jesus to clean him. He believed in Jesus as the Son of God. He believed in the power and ability of Jesus. Jesus did heal him, and gave him more.

God is so generous and loving that he gives us more than we ask for.

The man asked to be made clean, but Jesus gave him more than that. Aside from cleaning and healing him, Jesus gave him the opportunity to be back in society, to be accepted again by the leaders. That is why he told him to show himself to the priest, so the priest may verify that indeed, he is clean already, and can accept him back to society. However, this is not automatic. Just as the man had to come to Jesus and ask to be healed, he must again do his part and go to the priest to be welcomed back to society. If he will not do his part, Jesus healing cannot take its full course. We also need to do our part.

God is loving. God is powerful. We just need to have faith in him. And we need to come to him and obey him. As we follow him and as we surrender to him, we will get more than what we ask for.

What are my prayers right now? Do I have faith that God has the capability and the power to heal me and grant me my hearts desires as according to his will? Do I believe in Him? Am I willing to do my part for my healing and my salvation?

God sees beyond our prayers. He knows what we need, even before we pray for them and even if we ourselves do not know it. May this move us to just trust in God, and do our part.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for loving me so much. Thank you for the reminder that you know what I need, even before I ask and even if I myself do not know it. Sorry for not having that much faith in you. Sorry for being affected by the world. Help me to have faith in you, your plans, and your word. Help me act like the man in the gospel. I have faith in you. May I do my part and obey and surrender to you. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

https://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2016/01/jesus-prays.html

Daily Readings

January 10 2020

«

 January 9  |  January 11 »

Friday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 216

Reading 1 1 JN 5:5-13

Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.

The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

R. (12a)  Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia MT 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 5:12-16

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it.  Be made clean.” 
And the leprosy left him immediately. 
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” 
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

He Loved Us First

The WORD today reminds me that God loved us first.

We all want to be loved. There are a lot of people who are looking for love. There are a lot who are praying for the love of their life. We want to feel loved and to be taken care of. However, sometimes we tend to forget God – who loves us more than we can imagine, and has always been there loving us.

God loved us first. and he is continuing to love us.

The first reading tells us that God sent his son to save us, because he loved us. and he loved us not because we love him or we deserve to be loved. He loved us because he is love. He loved us first. and in the gospel, we see this in action. Jesus was being followed by the people. They were getting their fill of him. his wisdom. His healing. And Jesus showed his love for them by filling them with things spiritual and physical. He did not need them to prove his love for him. Jesus loved them first.

God loves you.

No matter how we feel, no matter what we have been doing, no matter what our issues are – God loves us. he loved us first, and he will continue to love us, regardless if we love him or not. He will continue to love us regardless if we deserve it or not. And this is something that should make us happy. This is an affirmation of our worth, of how much God values us. God loves us for who we are – with all the shortcomings and sins, and he will continue loving us.

What is love for me? Does my self worth get affected by how other people see me? Do I give much importance to who loves me? Do I realize that God loves me so much? Is God’s love enough for me or do I want others more?

May this give us a new perspective, not only on ourselves, but on God’s love for us. and may it move us to love him back, to love him more.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for loving me. Lord, sorry for the times I look for love in the wrong places. I am sorry for the times I feel unloved just because others don’t appreciate me. and sorry for the times I overlook your love. Thank you for your unending love. From now on, I will be more conscious of your love for me. I will allow you to love me and to fill me. I will receive your love. And I ask that as I do so, you make me more and more like you. I ask that you use me to bring your love to others as well. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

January 9 2020

« 

January 8  |  January 10 »

Thursday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 215

Reading 1 1 JN 4:19–5:4

Beloved, we love God because
he first loved us.
If anyone says, “I love God,”
but hates his brother, he is a liar;
for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not seen.
This is the commandment we have from him:
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

Responsorial Psalm PS 72:1-2, 14 AND 15BC, 17

R. (see 11)  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
From fraud and violence he shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
May they be prayed for continually;
day by day shall they bless him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Alleluia LK 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 4:14-22

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

Perfect Love

The WORD today reminds me that perfect love casts out fear.

There is a story of a 7 year old boy who rode an airplane alone. He was seated on the window side and was looking outside, admiring the beauty of the sky when the plane experienced turbulence. It was shaking hard that people started panicking. Some were already crying, and some prayed the rosary together – despite the announcement of the captain of the plane that there is nothing to worry about. However, even if people were panicking, the boy remained calm and continued to marvel at what he is seeing outside. Finally, his seatmate asked him – why are you so calm? Are you not scared we are going to crash? To this the boy replied: “I am not afraid. My dad is the captain – I trust him”

Trust is founded in love. And perfect love casts out fear.

In the first reading, we see that perfect love casts out fear. And we are told how to attain this – to love one another and allow God to perfect his love in us. In the gospel, we see that the disciples are yet to have this perfect love in Jesus. Their hearts were hardened and they do not understand yet a lot of things, so we see fear in them. Their initial reaction upon seeing a man was fear, and they have fear in their hardened hearts – fear to ask Jesus things so they could understand things around them.

If we have fear, we don’t trust God.

On the other hand, we saw that the love of Jesus was perfect. There is no fear in him. The gospel is a continuation of yesterday’s, and we saw how calm Jesus was despite not having food to feed thousands. He did not panic. He did not worry. He did not fear - because he trusts in God. He knows God will provide. No reason to fear.

We have a lot of things we are concerned about. Plans, career, finances, health and relationships. We do not know what will happen in life. We are uncertain with a lot of things.  This can cause us to fear, for we only see what’s in front of us. We imagine and think of the problems, but we don’t imagine and expect the graces God will give us, so we fear. If we love God, and if we allow Him to love us, we will not fear. We will learn how to trust in him, and we know that he loves us so much, so he will always be there to guide and protect us.

What are my worries and concerns as I start this year? What are they based on? Am I over analyzing things and treating them as problems before they become real? What is God telling me today?

Today, God is telling us like Jesus told the disciples – “Courage, it is I, do not be afraid.” It may be cliché, but it’s true: It We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future – Jesus. May we be like that boy. Unfazed with all the chaos around him and staying firm and calm because of his love for and trust in the captain.

Father God.

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for a beautiful reminder of how much you love me and how much you will protect me. Sorry for the times I let fear and doubt get in the way of love. Sorry for worrying too much and ignoring your love, your power, your protection, and all the previous times you came to my rescue. Help me have that faith in you. Consume me and slowly make my love perfect, just like you are perfect. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

January 8 2020

«

 January 7  |  January 9 »

Wednesday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 214

Reading 1 1 JN 4:11-18

Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

Responsorial Psalm PS 72:1-2, 10, 12-13

R. (see 11)  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Alleluia 1 TM 3:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to you, O Christ, proclaimed to the Gentiles.
Glory to you, O Christ, believed in throughout the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 6:45-52

After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened

Great Through Him

The WORD today reminds me that God can make simple things great.

We have seen a lot of videos where talented artists make great artworks. Normal pencils, pens and simple materials create beautiful things through their hands and their talents. On their own, these pens and art materials are normal and simple things, but being used made them a part of beautiful creations, and enabled them to be part of something great. This is what God does to us.

In the gospel, we see the familiar story of Jesus feeding five thousand men. With just 5 loaves and two fish, he was able to feed thousands of people. This not only shows the great power of God, but his invitation to us as well. They say that Jesus did not just make food appear for everyone. He took what was available and made a great miracle out of it.

Jesus invites us to be part of something great.

In the way he asked the disciples what they had, what they were willing to let go of and did something great with it, he too until now constantly invites us to take part of his mission, to be co workers with him and he will turn into something great whatever small part we can give him. All he needs is our hearts willing to participate to his plans.

What are my concerns right now? How is God answering my prayers? In what ways does he call me? Who are the people and what are the circumstances he use to invite me? How do I respond?

I believe that no good deed is futile. And no work done for God will ever be futile. May we be willing to give our share, no matter how small it may seem, and allow God to turn it into something great.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love you. Thank you for the reminder Lord that you can do great things through simple things from me. Sorry for thinking otherwise. Sorry for doubting myself. Sorry for doubting what you made me into. Help me to surrender to you, to let go and serve you, no matter how small my talent or contribution may seem, I know you can easily turn it to something great for your purpose and glory. I trust in you. And I surrender. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

January 7 2020

« 

January 6  |  January 8 »

Tuesday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 213

Reading 1 1 JN 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Responsorial Psalm PS 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

R. (see 11)  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Alleluia LK 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 6:34-44

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?  Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

God is Greater

The WORD today reminds me that God is greater than anything in this world.

We sometimes think that God is the ruler of the world. He created everything, and he is more powerful than anything. He created this world, but the first reading tells us that God is not the ruler of this world. There is someone powerful as well who is in the world. This is why Jesus, though Son of God, was born in a humble stable, as a human being and not a God. However, we are reminded that God is in us, and God is more powerful than the one who is in this world – the devil.

God is greater. Always.

In the gospel, we see an example of this. The ruler of this world brings evil in the world. Sickness and diseases, as well as evil possessions and lunatics. However, Jesus is more powerful than anything of those. God is in Jesus, and he cured the sick, healed the possessed, lunatics and paralytics, and saves the condemned. His love and his power is greater than the evil and hate in the world. The first reading again reminds us that we just need to trust in God, to keep his commandments and live pleasing to him.

We may have a lot of concerns coming into the new year. Work concerns that have not yet been resolved. Financial concerns still haunting us. Health problems that still distract us. Yes, these things may sound serious, but we just have to remember that God is greater. He is greater and more powerful than anyone or anything bothering us in this world. And we know what to do – to continue to nourish our souls and enable God to be fully alive in us, for we know that He is greater than anything. And as he is in us, we will be greater than any concern in this world.

What are my concerns as I start the year? What are my fears? How do I face them? Do I realize that God is greater than all of these? Do I trust in God no matter what the situation may be?

May we take comfort that God is greater, and work to make God strong and alive in us.\

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for another week. Lord, sorry for not trusting in you enough. Sorry for all my fears and worries. Sorry for not focusing on you. I ask that you always be with me. Always be with us. Help us and nourish us. I know how powerful you are, and I ask that I always be filled with you, so your power can move me, can mold me, can equip me. Be with me and use me to do your work, and protect me from anything in this world that Is not from you. Amen.

Blessed Week!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

January 6 2020

«

 January 5  |  January 7 »

Monday After Epiphany
Lectionary: 212

Reading 1 1 JN 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 PS 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.

Alleluia MT 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 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.