The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry

Today's Reflections  

                       

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry 

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Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

¹²When he heard that John had been arrested, [Jesus] withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:/ ¹⁵“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,/ the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,/ Galilee of the Gentiles,/ ¹⁶the people who sit in darkness/ have seen a great light,/ on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death/ light has arisen.”/

¹⁷From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

²³He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. ²⁴His 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. ²⁵And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus begins his ministry with this proclamation. He is actually fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah that “the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen” (v 16). What an offer of healing and salvation, especially when people not only hear Jesus’ message but also see his healing of the sick!

The response to the proclamation of Jesus—that the kingdom of God is here—is what we call faith. All faith is personal and communal. While our faith is very personal, involving our own experience of Jesus, it is also nourished by other believers around us.

There are many ways to nourish this faith. One way is to be open to the Spirit who makes us opt for good. It is the Spirit that makes us choose the good rather than the evil (even if it appears in the guise of good). The Spirit also enlightens us to realize: “we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us” (First Reading).

Have you experienced the Spirit of the Lord

saving you from a disastrous decision?