Monday - January 03, 2022
"I do nobody harm, I say none harm, I think none harm, but wish everybody good. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith, I long not to live."
--St. Thomas More
TODAY'S READINGS
January 3, 2022
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 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.
Reading 2 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
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.
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PRAYERS THAT WORK MIRACLES
Today's first reading begins with a promise that seems too good to be true: "We receive from God whatever we ask ..." The rest of the sentence explains why this is true: "Because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him."
Many people think that the reason why prayers don't get answered is because we don't ask rightly -- we don't pray enough novenas or we don't use the right words. But God's Word says it's because we don't live rightly: "We should believe in the name of Jesus, and ..."
What does believing in Jesus mean? "Love one another as he commanded us."
To receive whatever we ask for, we must remain in God, and he in us. That means being an open, holy vessel of the Lord. If we live in true union with God, then whatever we desire -- whatever we ask for -- already came from God in the first place.
We maintain this unity by loving one another the way he loves us. When we finish our prayers by making the sign of the cross and speaking the words "in the name of Jesus, amen", it should mean that we are praying in the completeness of who Jesus is. Therefore, remaining in God means that whatever we ask for is also in God -- it's already in his desires and in his plans.
Praying "in the name of Jesus, amen" is not an "abbra-cadabbra" magic phrase as if that could make our wishes come true. Rather, it's a commitment of unity with him. We're telling God and we're telling ourselves and we're telling angels and demons that we really want our prayers to be answered in the fullness of the Spirit of Christ: his nature, his mission, his love. We want only what God knows is right and best. We're surrendering "MY will be done", for "Your will be done, holy and loving Jesus."
To avoid separating ourselves from God's will, we must test everything to find out if it's in and of God. The temptation to sin sometimes will seem very godly, especially when it comes from non-Christian sources that are telling us what is right and good. We must test every source, every mood, every motive, and even every attitude behind our prayers. If our prayer requests do not reflect Christ's mood, his motives, and his attitudes -- then it's a worthless prayer. Of course God won't give it to us! Or it's a dangerous prayer, answered by the unholy.
For example, if we're asking for a new job, God wants to lead us into employment that will meet our needs and give him opportunities to sanctify the workplace. When we pray for an increase of vocations, God wants us to discern and fulfill our own callings, too. If we ask for good health, God wants to purge us of whatever is unhealthy in our lifestyles that make us vulnerable to illness.
Miracles do happen. But God's not interested in quick-fix, make-life-easy short-cuts that detour us from the path of spiritual growth. He grants miracles that increase our holiness and which will become testimonies of his mercy. Usually, such miracles take us on a long journey, but always, when we pray in God, he gives us whatever we ask in the best possible ways.
Today's Prayer
Thank You, beloved Lord, because You let Yourself be found in my life, You call me by my name, and to follow You becomes a necessity for me. Amen.
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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