Daily Reflection for Monday January 11, 2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011121.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Hebrews 1: 1-6
Responsorial: Psalm 97: 1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9
Gospel: Mark: 1: 14-20
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” Mark 1: 14b, 15
What is the Gospel of God?
I know the Gospel books of the Bible. The Gospels as written by the disciples narrate the life and teachings of Christ. The Gospels give us direction on following Christ, being Christian.
But – what is the “Gospel of God” that Jesus proclaims at the beginning of his mission?
The definition of gospel literally means “good news.” The word comes from the Anglo-Saxon term “God-spell” meaning “good story.”
So, what’s the good news? Jesus tells us. The kingdom of God is fulfilled in Jesus. In Luke 4, he tells us that he has been anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, to bring liberty to captives, sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, and a time acceptable to the Lord. That is the good news. That is the Gospel.
When I was a kid and we wanted someone to believe us, we’d say “Honest! It’s the Gospel truth!” The Gospel is the ultimate truth.
Jesus not only proclaimed the Gospel; he IS the Gospel. The Gospel books of the Bible simply tell the stories of Jesus and the early Christian community. But Jesus is the living Gospel, the ultimate truth.
In the prayer Jesus taught us, we proclaim, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Nothing can be better than the Kingdom of God, because God is Love and Jesus is the Love of God made human.
The Kingdom of God is love, and we as followers of Jesus, help to build that kingdom. When we love as Jesus teaches, hatred, racism, discrimination, and violence will be overcome.
Jesus is the Gospel of God, the Glad Tidings and we need to repent when we are not living the Gospel as Jesus taught us with his life.
Blessings to you,
Ruth Mytty