The start of the Galilean Ministry of Christ
It’s the third Sunday in Ordinary Time; yes we are back to the Ordinary Time. Actually, the first Sunday was the Visit of the Magi and then followed by the Fiesta of the Señor Santo Niño, and now we are on the third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our gospel reading today is about the beginning of the Galilean Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matt.4:12-23.
“12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.”
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Our Lord Jesus Christ lived as a Galilean for 30 years as his hometown Nazareth is also in Galilee. So when he started his Galilean ministry he was already 30 years old. He still stayed with his parents, Mary and Joseph, even throughout his early adult life. We all know that the Galilean Ministry of our Lord Jesus lasted only for three years because they crucified him when he was 33. Such a short public life, but the presence of the Son of God on earth has been written and re-written for over 2,000 years, which should tell us that the life of the Son of God was talked about by humanity.
Our theme today is a teaching that we read…”The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” Indeed, before time started the first thing God came up with was when he said, “Let there be light!” This reminds us of the very first things written in the Bible…. In Genesis 1-3 2 “Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.”
Our understanding of these words is simply when there is the presence of God in our midst, whatever darkness has engulfed our life, the Light of God will always shine upon us. In many books I read about people who were supposed to have died when their souls left their bodies, however they returned back to life. They only see a bright light that leads them to where we all should be in our afterlife.
The second part of today’s gospel reading was when our Lord first chose his first disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, and later James and John, were all fishermen and left their father to join the Lord and became the first of the 12 Apostles. Ask yourselves; why is the teaching handed down to only the most ordinary men two thousand years ago the basis of the doctrines of the Holy Catholic Church? My only answer is that all of these first Apostles were given the power through the Holy Spirit who guides us in our spiritual lives and it all began in the Galilean ministry of Jesus Christ.
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