Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers (Bishop and Doctor of the Church) Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 Jesus’ Authority to Cast Out Demons
Today, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. The records of the martyrs tell us that this bishop and doctor was born in the late 3rd century or early 4th century. At that time, the Arian heresy became prevalent among Christians. In the year 353, St. Hilary was elected bishop. During the early days of his episcopate, he was not well acquainted with this heresy. It was only after he was exiled that he began to study the Arian heresy and wrote numerous works to refute this heretical doctrine.
Today’s Mass Gospel is taken from the Gospel of St. Mark. The evangelist tells us that Jesus came to the synagogue in Capernaum and proclaimed the truth of the Kingdom of God to them. He did not continue the teachings of the scribes. For the God proclaimed by the scribes was a distorted image of God. This is similar to what we sometimes see in our Church today. When we participate in the Mass in the church, our parish priest, during the Liturgy of the Word, delivers a homily. When we listen to God speaking to us through them, if their homilies are different from what we are accustomed to hearing, we may be surprised. At that moment, we tend to judge based on our own understanding rather than according to God’s holy will.
Today, St. Mark tells us that Jesus not only preached in the synagogue but also, with the authority of the Son of God, cast out the unclean spirit there. This powerfully refutes the Arian heresy, for the Arian heresy claimed that since Jesus Christ was begotten by God the Father, He could not be as eternal, omnipotent, and omniscient as God the Father.
Dear brothers and sisters! Although we are not present in the synagogue of Capernaum today to listen to God’s word and witness what Jesus did for the man possessed by an unclean spirit, we should still stand firm in faith and fully accept the teachings of Christ in our daily lives. We should make good use of the various graces that God bestows upon us through His beloved Son so that our thoughts, words, and deeds may increasingly resemble those of Christ, and we may continually follow Him towards eternal life.
Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mark 1:14-20 Repent and Follow Jesus
Today, Jesus came to Galilee to proclaim the Gospel of God. The Gospel He proclaimed was not the same as that proclaimed by the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, the scribes of the people, and their leaders. The Gospel He proclaimed was the Gospel of love. He wanted to show everyone that the God He proclaimed is a God who actively reaches out to people, who loves people, and who even gave Himself up for the sake of the world.
The Evangelist Mark tells us that today, Jesus called Simon and his brother Andrew, as well as James, the son of Zebedee, and John. He invited them to become His first disciples. Simon, Andrew, James, and John were called by the Lord while they were engaged in their respective work. They did not cling to what they had at that moment, nor did they worry excessively about their families. Instead, they chose to take the risk and follow Jesus, choosing the new path that Jesus pointed out to them. In doing so, they set an example for us.
Dear brothers and sisters! God often calls us through all the experiences we go through in life, enabling us to discover the plan that God has begun in us. Therefore, today, let us follow the example of Simon, Andrew, James, and John. In our daily lives, through prayer, let us discern the work that God has begun in us, courageously abandon everything of our own, and cling closely to Christ, walking toward eternal life.
Saint Simon, Saint Andrew, Saint James, Saint John, pray for us. Amen.
The Third Sunday after Christmas: The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 The Word of God Who Received Baptism
Today, as Jesus came from the Jordan River to receive the baptism of St. John the Baptist, St. John attempted to prevent Him. For John recognized Jesus Christ as the Lord and Creator of the universe and all creation. Thus, upon seeing Jesus approach him to be baptized at his hands, he immediately told Jesus that it was he who needed to be baptized by Christ, not the other way around.
The merciful Lord Christ, though He existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus appeared among humanity in a form similar to ours, and with His sacred Body, He sanctified the waters—which are themselves creatures—bringing eternal salvation to the world. The very waters we use in receiving Christ’s Holy Baptism were thus consecrated by Him at the Jordan River. When we receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism, we are washed clean of original sin in the water associated with His passion; we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are united with Him. In this way, we may begin a new life in the risen Lord at His glorious Resurrection.
Today, the Holy Spirit, who appears before the eyes of the world, does not choose to manifest in the powerful image of fiery tongues as on Pentecost Sunday. Instead, He chooses the form of a dove. This is to tell us that the Holy Trinity is not the harsh God described by the Pharisees, nor is it the God loved by the Sadducees, who preferred material offerings to a humble and contrite heart. Rather, He is a God who loves humanity more than Himself, a God who actively seeks communion with humanity, a God who embraces both those who observe His Law and all those who have sinned against Him.
On this Third Sunday after Christmas, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, let us deeply remember the profession of faith we made when receiving the sacraments of Christian initiation. Let us remain faithful to the Word of God and worthily accomplish the mission entrusted to us by God. Amen.
全属于祢 
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