The End Goal Is God

JAN. 5, 2026: MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

Reading I: 1 Jn 3:22-4:6

Responsorial Psalm: Psa 2:7-8, 10-12 “I will give you all the nations for an inheritance

GOSPEL: Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

Key Verse: “The Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (v.17)

         Besides Jesus who from the beginning was the Word of God who took a human form to save the world from its attachment to sin, none of his disciples probably ever thought or expected that the Gospel of Christ they preached would survive the test of time and which is still being preached today more than 2,500 years after Jesus began his ministry.

         The Holy Scriptures or the Bible, the Gospels in particular, have been translated over and over again into many different languages and millions of copies have been sold over time and either its entirety or parts of it have been used as the basis of an equal number of inspirational books, magazines, pamphlets and, teaching tracts that have been published.

         What then makes the Gospel to be the most interesting reader of all time, a book that has attracted, influenced and transformed countless individuals throughout the world whose lives were touched as they leafed through its pages.

         The message that the Gospel of Christ proclaims is what makes it distinct from any other publications because the gospel means good news and amidst the depressing banner headlines that we see in the newspapers today such as the recent death of child in Ilocos who was felled by a stray bullet on New Year’s Eve, the political uncertainties in many countries especially in the Middle East that supplies more than half of the world’s oil consumption and, the economic disequilibrium in Europe and the United States, the Gospel or the good news can be likened to a cool breeze that caresses your face that is parched by the noonday sun.

         And in this short Gospel passage, Matthew was able to inject at least three very important points and we need to digest these points in order for us to really appreciate the beauty of the Gospel and why it has remained relevant today.

        The first point was that upon hearing that John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus left Nazareth and lived in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. What was significant here was that this was a Gentile region and this was where Jesus decided to begin his preaching ministry which only shows that the Gospel was not meant only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles especially for the people who are living in darkness and have seen a great light when the Gospel was preached to them.

        Indeed, the Gospel should be viewed as a life-changer in that anyone who hears it should not take it for granted or just sit in the pews during the Liturgy of the Word and listen because you have no choice as the reading of the Word is part of the Mass. The truth is everyone has a choice and the right choice is to really listen and obey what Christ is telling us through the Gospel.

         This brings us to the second point which is something that is very much real and we see this in v.17 when Jesus said: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” This was what got Jesus into trouble with the religious leaders of his time because the Scribes and Pharisees thought Jesus was going to establish a kingdom that would remove the privileges they enjoyed. What they didn’t know was that Jesus was not thinking of a physical kingdom (Jn 18:36) but a kingdom that is spiritual (Rom 14:17).

        Also when Jesus said “… the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” it doesn’t mean you are to do nothing but wait until the Kingdom rises up before you. There is a deeper meaning to this verse because the Kingdom of Heaven becomes visible the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

         I used to live on the fast lane. Because of the kind of influence that I enjoyed when I was still a Police Reporter for a major newspaper during the pre-martial law years, I threw my weight around. One of the things I was fond of doing was going against the traffic on a one-way street. I grew up in a Catholic school and I knew there was a God. But when you are thrust in a position where you feel you are in control, playing god is something that most people do and I was one of them. In looking back, my life could have ended in a snap but God had other plans.

         Amidst the promptings of the Holy Spirit, God found me and led me back to his kingdom that is without physical boundaries through the charismatic renewal movement and it is here where God impressed upon me that the Kingdom of Heaven is not only near but it is in the here and now but to see it will depend on our spirits or attitude when we stand face-to-face with God.

         Jesus was also telling us in this Gospel to repent which is a prerequisite to entering the Kingdom of God. Why? Because no one can be admitted to the Kingdom of God unless we have turned away from sin and have turned to God, a process that is preceded by “Godly sorrow that brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Cor 7:10) and, a transformed life in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Thus, repentance which literally means living a changed life is an integral part in the proclamation of the Gospel because any preaching that does not include an invitation to repent cannot be considered an authentic Gospel as Paul emphasizes in Acts 20:21, 25.

         Following the gospel of repentance, Jesus urges us to also believe the Good News (Mk 1:15) which is the third point that I want to raise to give our Gospel today more light. We need to believe because only then will our faith grow and because it is only in believing that we can be assured of the eternal that God promised (Jn 3:16).

         As we step into the Ordinary Times in a few days from now, let us use whatever we have learned during the Advent and Christmas Season to shape our lives and carry us through the next Liturgical Season. Our lives must be filled with the faith to believe that God sent his Son to bring us back to a relationship of peace and friendship with Him and we need to believe that. He is our Father and he wants us to live as his sons and daughters. God loved us first and he invites us in love to surrender our lives to him. Why? Because it is only when we empty ourselves of sin that he can fill us with his graces.

         To be a disciple and become the good news to others is not easy. It is probably the most difficult choice you have to make because the lure of the world is such that it deceives us into believing that we can live and be happy even without God. Today as I look back at my life in retrospect, instead of feeling compunction for the things I gave up when I gave my life to Christ, I grieve at the precious times I wasted when I was still caught up in the world. As I can no longer bring back time, I now make use of whatever time is left in the service of God who came to bring us into the light of the Kingdom of Heaven.

         And in order for this kingdom to last, we who are in it must likewise heed the call of Pope Francis to go into the world and “proclaim the Kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:60) because the Gospel of Christ would have no value at all if it is not proclaimed and Jesus is calling on us now to bring the gospel to everyone by being the good news ourselves. He is inviting us to share in this privilege previously enjoyed by the Apostles because God sees something in us that he could use.  

         But to become a disciple entails a lot of sacrifices as with Andrew, Simon, James and John who left their families to follow Christ. What would propel us to accept Christ’s invitation would be the thought that Jesus found us when we too were lost, and we are now obliged to also seek those who are lost for this is why Jesus came (Lk 19:10).

         We must not keep the light of Christ for ourselves because others must also see this light through us “for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor 2:15). (Ed Malay - Jan. 5, 2025)