“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” The word “overshadowed” was used in the book of Isaiah to describe the condition of a people that had been covered by sin and were living in darkness. The same word was used to describe Mary who would become pregnant by an eclipse of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the one that in turn would cover all our sin with his precious blood, and dispel that darkness. I feel like this word “overshadow” is important for us to ponder. Jesus shows us what “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” is supposed to look like. First of all we must repent and turn our lives over to the will of God, saying no to the overshadowing of sin and trading it for the overshadowing of grace. This is the first step in “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” I used to think that repentance was a one-time event and that was that, however, it truly is a daily, sometimes hourly decision. Choosing how to be overshadowed is a daily practice.
After we turn our lives over to God’s will by standing in His unlimited grace, Jesus shows us what God’s plan is for us. He went around teaching, proclaiming the Gospel, curing every disease and illness. He became known for all these things and people began bringing every kind of illness to him including mental illness, chronic pain, paralysis, etc. These miraculous healings attracted people from all over and they became followers. This is the second step in “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” I know I think of teaching, and preaching, and especially healing as being reserved for other people that are churchy, and preachy, and a little wild if I’m being honest. “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” as, proclaimed by Jesus Christ means that after we repent, teaching, and preaching, and healing would be manifested through us as well. The evidence of Jesus Christ risen and present among us is signs and wonders and miracles. Our call is to be overshadowed by the grace that is meant for all of us and under that mantle, Jesus Christ will be birthed into the world, and he will heal every disease. When we receive this overshadowing with the same humility that Mary did, “be it done unto me according to your Word,” the Savior of the world is born from us and the evidence of it will be in the love we pour out. Love is the way for Jesus to live and move and have our being, and love is what gives us power and authority to live possessed by heaven and not by the world.
I know for me I still put on sunscreen that blocks the complete overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. My sunscreen is named shame, or if they only knew what I’ve done, or self-hate, or doubt, or unbelief, or laziness, or fear. I try with all my heart to approach the overshadowing uncovered by these things, but it is a daily struggle. May today be the day that we come under the mantle of grace, open and ready to live a life according to our call. I want to say yes to the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit so that I can release the Savior into a world that so desperately needs him. I want to know that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me and wants also to raise others from the dead, to heal every disease and illness, and to show mercy to everyone. I want to remove all the things that I choose to block this grace so that I can reflect the light of Christ into this world. Overshadow me, Holy Spirit, and it is well with my soul.
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.
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, "ou 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 LORD said to me, "ou 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 SEE MT 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment