January 7, 2013

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Monday after Epiphany

Sooo?  What happens now?

In fact, officially, this is still part of Christmas and Christmas doesn't end until the Baptism of Our Lord, which is next Sunday, the 13th.

Don't quote me.   But for many people this is the end of Christmas.  I know that we, speaking of my family,  traditionally take down our Christmas tree on this day.  Until I began to study my faith and then, oops!  We still take down the tree and the lights.  But we continue to greet everyone with "Merry Christmas!"

In other countries, for instance, in Mexico, the culture is more in tune with the Catholic Liturgical year and this is still part of Christmas.  This is when the Three Kings brought presents to the Baby.  Therefore, this is the day when they exchange gifts.

I don't know if this is unique to our homeschooling group.  But some of the families in our group have taken to giving presents on both, Christmas Day and the Epiphany.   It works out really great for us.  We give our children their presents on Christmas Day.  Then we get together with our friends on the Epiphany and exchange gifts with them.

This works out for another reason.  It is not why we did it, but.  We can take advantage of the sales on black Friday, Saturday and Cyber week, which is in the latter part of November, early part of December.  And also take advantage of the After Christmas and New Year sales.

Just sayin'.

Lectionary: 212

Reading 1 from the First letter of St. John
1 Jn 3:22–4:6

Beloved:
We receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

If you want your prayers answered, be obedient to the Father's will.

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.

God's commandment is simple.  Believe in Christ and love one another.

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.

Those who keep the Commandments of God will remain united to God.

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.

To me it sounds as though is using the word "spirit" synonymous with "soul".  As in when someone says, "poor soul."

If that is true, then he is saying that we should not trust everyone who claims to believe in God.  But only those who believe in Christ.

This is a time when the Christians were being persecuted by the Jews  And perhaps, also a time when some converts from Judaism did not want to accept the entire Gospel.  Perhaps they had trouble accepting that Jesus is God.

This is the spirit of the antichrist
who, as you heard, is to come,
but in fact is already in the world.

Now, in this verse, he begins to use the word "spirit" in the sense of "essence".  The spirit of the anti-Christ is being against Christ.

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.

St. John assures the Church that they belong to God and therefore have conquered those who would destroy their faith.  

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.

The first stanza is about Jesus.  He has been given dominion over the earth.  The next stanza is about us.   In our Baptism we are anointed Prophets, Priests and Kings.  Therefore, we are directed to serve Christ and rejoice.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew
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.

Jesus moved to Galilee when He heard that St. John the Baptist had been arrested.  In so doing, He fulfilled the prophecy of Scripture.

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

From that time on, He began to preach repentance.

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.

And He traveled throughout Galilee preaching and curing the ill.  And His fame spread throughout the Middle East.  People came from far away to see Him.