Faith: A Response to the Light

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Monday After Epiphany, January 4th, 2021

Texts: 1 John 3:22-4:6; Ps. 2:7-8.10-11; Mtt. 4:12-17.23-25

The theme of light comes up in today's gospel reading. The dwelling of Jesus Christ in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, is described as an arrival of light in the region. It is said, "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali towards the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles - the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." 

The light manifests in two events: the preaching of the gospel and the saving event wrought by Jesus Christ. Hence, it is said, "And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people."  The gospel is a call to repentance, a call to a new life, life that exemplifies the values of the kingdom of heaven. Hence, it is said, "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" The saving event is the healing of diseases and infirmities, and the deliverance from demoniacs. 

Jesus Christ brought to them light and they saw it and had faith in Him. It is said of them thus: "And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from the Jordan." Our faith in Jesus Christ is the testimony that we have seen the great he brings to humanity. Put differently, our faith is a response to the light and evidence that we have seen it and accepted it. Our faith manifests in following Him as the people did in the gospel reading. We follow Him when we keep God's commandments. St. John, in the first reading, says, "And this is his commandments, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." 

For St. John, to have faith in Jesus Christ is to know the truth about Him. He says, "All who keeps his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us. ..... By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God." By faith and love of neighbours we abide in God and He in us through the Spirit, which reveals to us that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. 

St. John calls those who taught that Jesus had not come in the flesh antichrist and he warned the people to beware of them.The teaching that denies flesh to Jesus Christ is called docetism. It holds that human nature is evil and as such God will not unite Himself with it. The teaching has a serious implication on our faith. St. Gregory of Nazianzen tells us of the implication when he says, "What has not been assumed has not been healed; it is what is united to his divinity that is saved" (Epistle 101). This means if Jesus Christ has not come in the flesh we have not been saved, because it is what is united to Him that is saved. If He has not come in the flesh, man cannot be united with him, that is, it will be impossible to abide in Him and He in us.

St. John, in the reading, also invites us to listen to the Church. St. Paul says, "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth" (1Tim. 3:15). The Spirit of truth dwells in the Church. Those who have the spirit of truth listen to the Church, while those who do not listen to the Church have the spirit of error. St. John puts it this way: "We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." When we listen to the Church, we will overcome the antichrists and their lies.

St. John, in the reading, also reminds us that our faith will always experience attack, division within, contrary views and opinions. The early Church was not immune against such challenges. The attack our faith encounters, today, is not strange. To some people, Catholics is synonymous with idolatry or worship of Mary. Some Christians mock us when we say we receive the real body and the real blood of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. St. John has told us how to overcome the attack and the false teaching: it is by listening to the Church. 

Lord Jesus Christ, pardon us for the number of times we have disregarded the teaching of the Church, open our ears to hear the Church speaking to us and our hearts to accommodate the teaching and strengthen our will to live by the teaching of the Church. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke