The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today implore us to maintain confidence as followers of Christ through continued care and compassion for all people in our community.
The Reading from the First Letter of John urges confidence before God and Testing the Spirits.
* [3:19–24] Living a life of faith in Jesus and of Christian love assures us of abiding in God no matter what our feelings may at times tell us. Our obedience gives us confidence in prayer and trust in God’s judgment. This obedience includes our belief in Christ and love for one another. (1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
* [4:1–6] Deception is possible in spiritual phenomena and may be tested by its relation to Christian doctrine (cf. 1 Cor 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.
* [4:3] Does not acknowledge Jesus: some ancient manuscripts add “Christ” and/or “to have come in the flesh” (cf. 1 Jn 4:2), and others read “every spirit that annuls (or severs) Jesus.” (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 2 proclaims the Israelite king as the earthly representative of God.
* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5). (Psalms. PSALM 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew proclaims the Beginning of the Galilean Ministry with Jesus Ministering to a Great Multitude.
* [4:12–17] Isaiah’s prophecy of the light rising upon Zebulun and Naphtali (Is 8:22–9:1) is fulfilled in Jesus’ residence at Capernaum. The territory of these two tribes was the first to be devastated (733–32 B.C.) at the time of the Assyrian invasion. In order to accommodate Jesus’ move to Capernaum to the prophecy, Matthew speaks of that town as being “in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Mt 4:13), whereas it was only in the territory of the latter, and he understands the sea of the prophecy, the Mediterranean, as the sea of Galilee.
* [4:17] At the beginning of his preaching Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist (Mt 3:2) although with a different meaning; in his ministry the kingdom of heaven has already begun to be present (Mt 12:28).
* [4:23–25] This summary of Jesus’ ministry concludes the narrative part of the first book of Matthew’s gospel (Mt 3–4). The activities of his ministry are teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing; cf. Mt 9:35.
* [4:23] Their synagogues: Matthew usually designates the Jewish synagogues as their synagogue(s) (Mt 9:35; 10:17; 12:9; 13:54) or, in address to Jews, your synagogues (Mt 23:34), an indication that he wrote after the break between church and synagogue.
* [4:24] Syria: the Roman province to which Palestine belonged.
* [4:25] The Decapolis: a federation of Greek cities in Palestine, originally ten in number, all but one east of the Jordan. (Matthew, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth shares concern about the hungry, the homeless, and victims of inhumane immigration raids in the U.S., or the millions of people throughout the world in refugee camps. She asks:
“Does God love those of us born in safe and comfortable circumstances more than such people? The “prosperity Gospel” suggests that he does, but that seems like a perversion of a faith that warns of the difficulty of the rich entering heaven. So how do we live today’s reading?”
First, God doesn’t do terrible things to people. Other people do. And those of us who count ourselves among the relatively comfortable minority of earth’s people can’t just congratulate ourselves for getting the prayer formula right. Instead, we need to understand that Jesus answers desperate prayers for help THROUGH US.
It can be tempting to despair about making an impact because of the sheer scope of horrors we see daily. We likely feel powerless. But if we take the command to love as a call to action, we’ll find ways to send out “ripples of hope” as Robert Kennedy told the people of South Africa during Apartheid.
Our ripples may be as small as calling on public officials to protect the human dignity of local immigrants or volunteering for groups like the parish St. Vincent de Paul Societies. However, if millions of us try to send out even a ripple of hope or two a week, we will create a mighty wave that mobilizes the power of love. (Wirth, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The true light of revelation to the Gentiles,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).
"The Evangelist commemorated in this passage the prophet's words: 'Beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light' (Matthew 4:15-16) In what darkness? Certainly in the profound error of ignorance. What great light did they see? The light concerning which it is written: 'He was the true light that illumines everyone who comes into this world' (John 1:9) This was the light about which the just man Simeon in the Gospel declared, 'A light of revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people Israel' (Luke 2:32). That light had arisen according to what David had announced, saying, 'A light has arisen in the darkness to the upright of heart' (Psalm 112:4).
"Also, Isaiah demonstrated that light about to come for the enlightenment of the church when he said, 'Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you' (Isaiah 60:1). Concerning that light also Daniel noted, 'It reveals the profound and hidden things, knowing those things which are in darkness and the light is with it' (Daniel 2:22), that is, the Son with the Father, for even as the Father is light, so too is the Son light. And David also speaks in the psalm: 'In your light shall we see light' (Psalm 36:9), for the Father is seen in the Son, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel: 'Who sees me, sees the Father' (John 14:9) From the true light, indeed, the true light proceeded, and from the invisible the visible. "He is the image of the invisible God," as the apostle notes (Colossians 1:15)." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 15.1) [Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 comments that when Jesus’ light shines on us, it shows us that the darkness was just an emptiness in our hearts. It reveals that our sadness is not a “thing,” but a lack of joy and trust in the Lord. And it reveals that sin arises only because of an absence of Jesus’ goodness.
In prayer today, picture Jesus going “around all of Galilee” in your heart (Matthew 4:23). Welcome him into just one area of your life that is in darkness—a wound from a broken relationship, a fear or worry that is keeping you bound up, or a pattern of sin that has you trapped in guilt or shame. Ask him to shine his light on that area. Let the brilliance of his love and the warmth of his mercy dispel the darkness and bring you healing. Even if it’s just a matter of taking the next good step into the light, welcome him in and let him shine in you.
“Come, Lord, and let the radiance of your light cast out the darkness in my heart!” (Meditation on Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 1 John 3 we hear of the contrast with the Gospel of John that offers the theme that following Jesus is keeping the one necessary commandment. The First Letter of John insists on keeping the traditional Commandments to combat Docetism, an ancient heresy that says Jesus was not fully human. Greeks looked at God as Purely Spiritual and could not take on humanity. Matthew quotes the Hebrew Testament about the land that would see a great light! Why Galilee? Jesus comes from Nazareth, a mixed population with lots of Gentiles and now the Messiah! Friar Jude suggests “The Kingdom of Heaven” is a phrase used by a converted pharisee in place of “Kingdom Of God” and Jesus cures in the Decapolis, a pagan territory, to underline Jesus has come for the Gentiles and the Jews.
Brian McLaren shares that in 2026, CAC meditations will return to this ancient text (the Bible) with open hearts and new eyes, exploring how it might again speak good news to a fractured world.
Let me mention three of those new and fresh ways.
First, we won’t read the Bible as if it were a divinely dictated book that descended out of heaven on a parachute. Instead, we will be reading the Bible as a set of precious literary artifacts that emerge in the unfolding story of humanity. We will take seriously the historical, social, ecological, economic, and political context of the Bible, and we will dig deep for needed ancient wisdom to help us today.
Second, we won’t read the Bible as if it were a manual to help people dominate and exploit the earth and other people. It certainly has been and is being used in that way, but we will instead explore the Bible for inspiration—for creative and nonviolent resistance to that kind of domination and exploitation.
And third, we won’t read the Bible as if it were an evacuation plan, preparing us to give up on the earth and be beamed up to heaven. Instead, we will explore the Bible as a prompt for both deep contemplation and for deep, loving action. (McLaren, n.d.)
We ponder the difficulties of first Christians and celebrate the power of the Spirit to inspire their mission to be witnesses to the fullness of life in the Mystical Body of Christ.
References
Matthew, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/4?12
McLaren, B. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Finding Good News in the Bible. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/finding-good-news-in-the-bible/
Meditation on Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/05/1473666/
1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/3?22
1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4
Psalms. PSALM 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/2?7
Schwager, D. (n.d.). From Darkness and Death to Light and Life. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-5-2026
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