(Optional Memorial for Saint André Bessette, Religious) [United States]
Selected readings for the Memorial of St. André Bessette
Alternate Readings for the memorial may be taken from the Common of Holy Men and Women
Additional Information about St. André Bessette
The readings shown here
are for places where the Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday 5 January. If you are
celebrating the Epiphany on Monday 6 January this year:
 |
| “Christ preaching on the Sea of Galilee,” by Jan Bruegel the Elder (1568–1625) |
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading
1: 1 John 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.
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Commentary on
1
Jn 3:22–4:6
The ending of Chapter 3 from St. John’s first epistle speaks
of Christians living a life of faith in Jesus, and how, in that faith, they are
assured, through mutual love, that we are in the Lord and the Lord also resides
in us. When we adhere to this most important of his commandments, the Lord
becomes indwelling. As a consequence of our obedience, the love of Christ and
love of each other naturally follows.
The beginning of Chapter 4 (“Beloved, do not trust every
spirit”) returns to the central theme of St. John’s letter, “false
teachers.” “Deception is possible in spiritual phenomena and may be tested by
its relation to Christian doctrine (cf. 1
Corinthians 12:3): those who fail to acknowledge Jesus Christ
in the flesh are false prophets and belong to the antichrist. Even though these
false prophets are well received in the world, the Christian who belongs to God
has a greater power in the truth.” [4]
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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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Ps
2:7bc-8, 10-12a
Psalm 2 is one of the Royal Psalms. In this passage we are
reminded that God has adopted us as his sons and daughters. The language used
is the formal adoption language of the time. The second strophe gives force to
the service to God required by that adoption.
CCC:
Ps 2:7-8 2606; Ps
2:7 441, 653, 2836
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Gospel: Matthew 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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Mt
4:12-17, 23-25
The events in this Gospel passage take place just following
Jesus’ trial in the desert. St. John the Baptist has accomplished his mission
in baptizing Jesus and has been arrested. Jesus must now do the work he was
sent to do. He turns his back on his persecutors and makes his home in
Capernaum. He then takes up his mission, proclaiming the kingdom of God. As
happens so many times in God’s plan, when the enemy of truth strikes a blow, it
often has unintended positive consequences.
In this case, striking at St. John, the enemy opens to door and “the
people who sit in darkness have seen a great light.” The people of the North
now receive the Good News as a result. [5]
The Gospel quotes Isaiah (Isaiah
8:22-9:1) to emphasize that the messianic mission and
prophecy are being fulfilled. The key elements of the mission are laid out as
he reveals God’s love. These elements are teaching, proclaiming the gospel (the
Good News of the kingdom of God), and healing.
The summary provided serves as an introduction to the Sermon
on the Mount which follows in the next section. Omitted from this part of the
Gospel, in verses 18-22, is the call of the first disciples.
CCC: Mt
4:17 1720, 1989; Mt
4:24 1503
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We have, to be somewhat clichéd, “seen the light.” The
guiding star, that morning star that never sets, has led the magi to the
manger. Light has burst upon the world as the Savior is worshiped by the
contingent of Gentile leaders representing the entire non-Jewish world.
The Scripture provided today catapults us forward in time to the
period immediately following the Lord’s trial in the desert, which in turn
followed his baptism by the Baptist in the Jordan. We are told that John the Baptist was
arrested. In all of the Gospels, this is
like a starter’s pistol going off. From
that moment, the Lord begins his spectacular, but short, public ministry. For those reading this story for the first
time, the fate of John the Baptist would feel like a warning of things to come
for Jesus, and they would be right. Some
of the same forces that snatched John away from his ministry of calling the
people to repentance would later be marshaled against Jesus himself.
Jesus recognizes the meaning of the arrest of John the Baptist by
Herod Antipas. The prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:22-23) and God’s
plan come together. He understands his ministry must be fulfilled and so, turns
his back on his persecutors fleeing to the north and the result is the light
comes to those regions. As we will see so many times, the enemy’s attempt to
destroy the light only results in its spread.
What message do we take away from this flow of events? We are still rejoicing in the warmth of
Christmas and recharged in the Epiphany.
The season is not over yet. The
Baptism of the Lord which we will celebrate next Sunday actually launches us
into Ordinary (extraordinary) Time.
Perhaps we would best look at St. John’s first letter for a more
pragmatic instruction. He makes it clear
that our call is to be faithful to the first and greatest commandment of Jesus:
Love God and love one another. Anyone
who tells us that this is not the most important imperative of our lives is
leading us down dark paths. And in this
season of joy, St. John once more reminds us that the one who came from the
virgin’s womb came so that the love of God might be revealed through him. In that love, demonstrated so clearly in the
mission summarized by Saint Matthew, we see not only our call but our
hope.
Today let us rededicate ourselves to the mission of Christ who
came to show the love of God to the world.
Let us be instruments of that love and echo the Lord’s divine revelation
to all we meet.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Christ preaching on the Sea of Galilee,” by Jan Bruegel the
Elder (1568–1625).
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[4]
NAB footnote on 1 John 4:1-6.
[5]
Leiva-Merikakis, Erasmo. Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word Volume 1: Meditations
on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (p. 185). Ignatius Press. Kindle
Edition.
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