At the beginning of today’s Gospel (Matthew 4:12-23), we learn that Our Lord began His public ministry not in the holy city of Jerusalem, but in the land of the Gentiles, in Zebulun and Napthali, which were associated with darkness and forgetfulness of God. This is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah (9:2) which Matthew quotes, and which we also heard in the First Reading:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

So the world into which Our Lord came was not unlike our own – confused and corrupted by false gods and lost morals. And yet it was here, among those least expecting it, that the Light of Christ appeared. God doesn’t wait for the world to become worthy to visit us. He enters it because it is unworthy and because it is in darkness. Even Israel, God’s chosen people, often preferred darkness. And perhaps this is the deeper message in today’s Gospel: light not only reveals – it also exposes. So to accept Christ doesn’t only mean feeling good about ourselves. It means conversion. And what are the first words JESUS preached? “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Light, of course, demands repentance, because it shows things as they really are. It shows sin for what it is, and it shows mankind what he was created to be.

Many people out there want just enough religion to feel safe, but they don’t want to change their lives. But we are not called to mediocrity. We are called to become saints. Or people sometimes stay away from church precisely because the Light has begun to dawn on them. They feel unworthy and ashamed and say, “I keep sinning and can’t kick the habit. I shouldn’t be here.” This is one of the devil’s oldest lies. The Church is not a reward for the sinless. As Pope Francis famously said, “It is a field hospital for sinners.” Our Lord didn’t come to Galilee because people were virtuous. He came because they were lost. Similarly, He doesn’t wait for us to conquer all our sins before He calls us. On the contrary, He calls us so that by His grace, we may conquer sin. “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The saints weren’t born saints. They are saints because they persevered and never gave up.

So if life feels dark, if you’re tired of falling into the same old sins – then you are exactly the one to whom the Light is sent. If you stay away, the darkness only deepens. JESUS says, “Come to Me all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you” (Matthew 11:28). He doesn’t wait for us to be strong before He calls. He calls us so that by following Him we may become strong. To take that step towards Christ is to already leave the darkness behind. And remember, where Christ’s Light is received, despair gives way to hope, sins are forgiven, and the way back to the Father is made clear.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC