Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
January 3, 2022
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.
Today’s gospel highlights several important aspects of the incarnation of Jesus Christ that challenge us to ponder key questions.
Matthew begins by telling us that Jesus is the light of the world. In this Christmas season especially, Jesus’ travels are another reminder that the incarnation is a historical fact that happened at a particular place and time. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He visited the fishing town of Capernaum. He would later fish with his disciples on the sea of Galilee. In other words, Jesus is a historical person who, like us, is fully human.
By traveling to Galilee, Jesus also fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah, making known that he was (and is) the great light who came to illumine the darkness and win victory over death itself. Jesus is fully human, yes, but he is also fully God: the light that no darkness can overcome. Do we allow Jesus, the light of the world, to overcome the darkness in our lives?
Matthew also tells us that Jesus went throughout Galilee “teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom.” Not only is Jesus the great light of the world, but he is also our great teacher. In today’s gospel, Jesus says specifically that “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” What can we do today to build up the kingdom of God here on Earth?
Finally, Matthew tells us that Jesus cured “every illness and disease among the people.” This reveals God as the ultimate healer. Jesus spent his time caring for the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. How can we imitate Jesus’ example, caring for those most in need?
May we pray for the grace of faith so that we might—along with the crowds in today’s gospel—follow Jesus wherever he may lead us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you sent your Son as a Light to all people living in darkness and under the shadow of death. Open our minds and hearts so that we might hear and answer Jesus’ call to conversion in our lives. May we know the healing and mercy that Jesus came to bring, and may we take up our part in proclaiming the Good News of your kingdom to everyone we meet. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Saint of the Day
Today’s feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is another way for the Church to call our attention to Jesus’ identity, and to encourage us to call upon him.
When Gabriel visited Mary, the angel told her, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Similarly, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained Mary’s virgin conception. “You are to name him Jesus,” the angel told Joseph, “because he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus’ name literally means “savior.” St. Paul writes to the Philippians that “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a great promoter of devotion to the holy name of Jesus. “To speak of it brings to the mind all that the name stands for,” he wrote. “To call on it calms and soothes the heart.”
There are many other references to the power of Jesus’ name in Scriptures. In the Acts of the Apostles, the name of Jesus healed the lame and brought the dead back to life. The holy name is a protection from the devil, who has been conquered by Jesus on the cross and fears his name. We conclude all of our prayers as a Church by praying in the name of Jesus Christ, for he promised that “whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you” (John 16:23).
The emblem or monogram of the holy name of Jesus—the initials IHS—is seen in many places on campus, including on the pedestal of the Statue of the Sacred Heart in front of the Dome. In the Middle Ages, Jesus’ name was written as “Ihesus,” so the monogram IHS contains the (combined) first and last letters of this name. The Jesuits have this monogram as the emblem of their order—it can be seen in the image of St. Ignatius of Loyola from the Basilica shown above.
On this feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, let every knee bend and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!