Reflection on Today's Readings, Monday after Epiphany of the Lord, January 3rd, 2022
Texts: 1 John 3:22-4:6; Psalm 2:7-8. 10- 11; Matthew 4:12- 17.23-25
The presence of Jesus Christ at Capernaum, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, is described as the coming of a great light. This tells us that Jesus Christ is a light, the light of the world. Anyone who has no Christ in his/her life walks in darkness. Jesus Christ illuminated the territory with His teaching and deeds. Jesus Christ brought them the words of salvation as He called them to repentance for access into the kingdom of God. He proved to them His power to save by healing the sick and setting free those who were possessed by evil spirits.
The light of Christ is salvation. In today's gospel reading, it is clear that salvation requires repentance, keeping of God's words and being freed from the power of sin and the devil. Jesus Christ has come to call us to repentance, to teach us the truth about ourselves and God, to teach us the way to God, to preach to us about God and to set us free from the power of the devil and sin. His light shines in our lives when we repent from our sins and keep His words. If we do not repent and keep His words, His light will not shine in our lives.
St. John tells us, in today's first reading, that we receive whatever we ask when we keep commandments of God and do what pleases Him. This looks like a formula in mathematics: keeping God's commandments + doing what pleases God = receiving whatever we ask. We all know that experience does not support this. This is clear when he says, "And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." We keep God's commandments when we have faith in Jesus Christ and love one another. Faith in Jesus Christ is an assurance that He is able to do what we ask and confidence in His love, not minding whether He gives us what we ask or not. It is faith that makes us to accept the lot of God for us. Faith is beyond logics and mathematics; it is a submission to what is beyond our reasoning or understanding.
St. John goes further to tell us that it is by keeping God's commandments that we live in Him and He in us. He puts it thus: "All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them." This means when we keep His commandments, His light is in us, we walk in His ligh and guided by the light. This tells us that if we want the light of Christ to shine in our lives, we are to keep His commandments. We dispel the darkness in our lives by keeping the commandments of God. St. John also tells us that our victory over the world is the Jesus Christ that lives in us. The light of Christ in us sets us above the world. Let us continue to keep the commandments of God that we may live in Him and He in us and His light may also shine in us.
We are also reminded, today, that there are antichrists, going about to deceive people. We are to beware of what we believe in. Any spirit that tells us that Jesus Christ did not come in flesh and blood like ours is the spirit of antichrist. Such spirit denies His likeness to us and our brotherhood with Him; it makes Him remote from us.
Lord our God, we thank You for your salvation to us, grant us the grace of genuine repentance, faithfulness to Your commandments and freedom from the power of the devil and sin. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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