"Ang mga tawo nga yara sa kadudolman makakita sang daku nga kapawa"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 4:12-23)

Domingo (Enero 26)

Sang mabatian ni Jesus nga ginbilanggo si Juan, nagpa-Galilea sia.

Si Jesus naghalin sa Nazaret kag nagkadto sa pagpuyo sa Capernaum ang banwa sa higad sang Linaw sang Galilea nga sakop sang Zabulon kag Neftali.

Nahanabo ini agod matuman ang ginsiling ni Isaias nga propeta: "O duta sang Zabulon, O duta sang Neftali, Sa higad sang baybayon, Sa tabok sang Jordan, Galilea sang mga Gentil.

Ang mga tawo nga yara sa kadudolman Makakita sang daku nga kapawa! Sa mga nagapuyo Sa madulom nga duta sang kamatayon Ang kapawa magasilak!"

Sugod sadto nga panahon si Jesus nagbantala sang iya mensahi, "Magbiya kamo sang inyo mga sala kay ang Ginharian sang langit malapit na!" 

Sang nagalakat si Jesus sa higad sang Linaw sang Galilea, may nakita sia nga duwa ka mag-utod nga mangingisda. Ini sila amo sanday Simon nga ginatawag Pedro kag si Andres nga iya utod, nga nagaladlad sang ila sahid sa pagpangisda.

Si Jesus nagsiling sa ila, "Upod kamo sa akon kay tudloan ko kamo sa pagpanahid sang mga tawo sa Dios."

Sa gilayon ginbayaan nila ang ila sahid kag nag-upod sa iya.

Naglakat pa gid si Jesus sa unhan kag nakita naman niya ang duha ka mag-utod nga si Santiago kag si Juan, mga anak ni Zebedeo. Didto sila sa ila sakayan kaupod sang ila amay nga si Zebedeo nga nagapamuna sang ila sahid. Gintawag sila ni Jesus, kag sa gilayon ginbayaan nila ang ila sakayan kag ang ila amay kag nag-upod sila kay Jesus.

Si Jesus naglibot sa bug-os nga Galilea; nagpanudlo sa mga sinagoga, nagwali sang Maayong Balita sang Ginharian, kag nagpang-ayo sang tanan nga sahi sang mga masakit kag balatian sang mga tawo.

Prayers:

"Lord Jesus, your ways are life and light! Let your word – the good news of the Gospel – penetrate my heart and transform my mind that I may see your glory and truth. Help me to follow you and do what is pleasing in your sight".

***

Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

Do you know the joy and freedom of the gospel – the good news proclaimed by Jesus Christ? John the Baptist’s enemies had sought to silence him, but the good news of salvation which he pointed to could not be silenced. As soon as John had finished his testimony, Jesus began to speak of the good news of salvation in Galilee. Galilee was at the crossroads of the world and much traffic passed through this little region. It had been assigned to the tribes of Asher, Naptali and Zebulum when the Israelites first came into the promised land (see Joshua 9). For a long time it had been under Gentile occupation. Isaiah foretold (see Isaiah 9) that the good news of salvation would be proclaimed in this land and reach to the Gentiles. Jesus begins the proclamation of the gospel here to fulfill the word of God which had been promised long ago. The Old Testament prophets spoke of God’s promise to send a Redeemer who would establish God’s reign of peace and righteousness. That time is now fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus takes up John’s message of repentance and calls disciples to believe in the good news (gospel) which he has come to deliver. What is the good news which Jesus delivers? It is the good news of peace (restoration of relationship with God), of hope (the hope of resurrection and heaven), of truth (God's word is true and reliable), of promise (he rewards those who seek him), of immortality (God gives everlasting life), and the good news of salvation (liberty from sin and freedom to live as sons and daughters of God). The gospel is the power and wisdom of God: power to change and transform our lives and wisdom to show us how to live as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the Lord makes it possible for us to receive his word with faith and to act upon it with trust.

In announcing the good news, Jesus made two demands: repent and believe! Repentance requires a life-change and a transformation of heart and mind. The Holy Spirit gives us a repentant heart, a true sorrow and hatred for sin and its consequences, and a firm resolution to avoid it in the future. The Holy Spirit gives us grace to see our sin for what it is – rebellion and a rejection of the love of God. God’s grace helps us to turn away from all that would keep us from his love. Faith or belief is an entirely free gift which God makes to us. Believing is only possible by grace and the help of the Holy Spirit who moves the heart and converts it to God. The Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the mind and makes it easy for us to accept and believe the truth. To believe is to take Jesus at his word, to believe that God loved us so much that he sent his only begotten Son to redeem us from the slavery of sin and death. God made the supreme sacrifice of his Son on the cross to bring us back to himself. Do you know the love of God that surpasses all else and that impels us to give him our all? God wants to change our way of thinking and transform our lives by the power of his word.

Jesus chose as his closest friends and co-workers those who were ready to follow as his disciples and he gave them an unusual mission – "to catch people for the kingdom of God". What kind of disciples did Jesus choose? Smelly fishermen! In the choice of the first apostles (Peter, Andrew, James and John) we see a characteristic feature of Jesus' work: he chose very ordinary people. They were non-professionals, had no wealth or position of power or prestige in society. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special marks of distinction or social ranking. Jesus wanted ordinary people who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. He chose these individuals, not for what they were, but for what they would become under his direction and power. When the Lord calls us to be his disciples and co-workers, we must not think we have nothing to offer him in exchange. The Lord Jesus takes what ordinary people, like us, can offer and he enables us to accomplish great things for his kingdom. Do you believe that God wants to work in and through you for his glory?

Jesus speaks the same message to us today: we will "catch people" for the kingdom of God if we allow the light of Jesus Christ to shine through us. God wants others to see the light of Christ in us in the way we live, speak, and witness the joy of the gospel. Paul the Apostles says, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ Jesus always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 2:15). Do you show others around you the joy of the gospel and do you pray for your neighbors, co-workers, and relatives that they may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and grow in the knowledge of his love?