Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection January 06, 2025

06th January 2025 (Monday)

Psalter: Week 2

Readings of the Day

First Reading: 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.

Psalm 2:7bc-8, 10-12a (R. 8ab)

R/. I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.

R/. Alleluia.

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.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Monday – After Epiphany

Guidelines: Believing in God is not just about doctrine but about living in His love and sharing it with others.

1. “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” These words mark the start of Jesus’ public ministry. Through His birth, God’s kingdom is brought close to us again. Sin had distanced us from God, but His initiative through Jesus restores and welcomes us back to His kingdom.

2. Jesus reveals the kingdom through teaching, preaching, and healing. Physical healing reflects a deeper need for inner healing, which is achieved through repentance and transformation. It is a call to belong to God’s kingdom, experience its joy, and share it with others.

3. This transition can be described as moving from darkness into light, or from disbelief to faith. It involves trusting in Jesus’ presence and love while rejecting falsehood and standing for truth.

4. Belonging to God’s kingdom means obeying His commandments, loving others, and living in unity with Him. By loving one another, we show that we abide in God, and He abides in us.

Practice: In a world influenced by evil, we are called to make it a place where love and truth thrive as signs of God’s kingdom.