History says that the enemies of Israel that wanted to attack Jerusalem would march through Zebulun and Naphtali. These enemies would oppress these two towns. Townsfolk probably asked, “Why us? They’re after Jerusalem, and we’re just caught in the crossfire. Why is life unfair?” Perhaps, you’ve asked this same age-old question because we have our own Zebulun and Naphtali too. We’ve experienced an army of uninvited problems. We’ve sat in darkness.

But Jesus did two things in these two towns: He lived there (in Nazareth) and worked there (in Capernaum). Both are in Galilee, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. By living and working there, Jesus redeemed those places. His life became a light to a people in the darkness. Friend, are you going through darkness? Are you in your Zebulun and Naphtali? The Light shines on you. Jesus lives with you, shares your pain, and weeps with you. And He will work in your midst to perform miracles in your life. Mike Viñas (mikemichaelfcv@yahoo.com)

reflect

What areas of your life do you feel attacked? What are the unfair injustices you’re going through right now? Surrender them to the Lord. Let Him defend you and deliver you.

Lord Jesus, let your light and love dispel the darkness in my life. Redeem me from the invasion of sin and the oppression of problems.

Blessed André Bessette, religious, pray for us.

We are all called to love God and our neighbor, but it is a difficult call to fulfill. Yet, this is at the heart of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Let us pray for the grace to recognize and love our neighbor no matter what our experience of them might be. Love is a decision we can make no matter what the situation we find ourselves in. Love overcomes all things. In times when we cannot love in our own strength, let us surrender to the Holy Spirit and invite Him to help us to love.

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. ¹⁰ In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

R: Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

¹ O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son. ² He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. (R) ³ The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice. ⁴ He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor. (R) ⁷ Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. ⁸ May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (R)

Gospel | Mark 6:34-44

If you want to be a leader in the Church, then get ready to be tired most of the time. The heart of a true pastor will always struggle to rest and say, “I have done all I can for now.” The true pastor always sees the needs of his flock and desires to meet them. But it is impossible for one person to meet the needs of a flock—big or small. So, let us pitch in and help in caring for our parishes and communities. Let us strive to help our leaders by being part of the solution, not of the problem.

Gospel Acclamation

The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.

³⁴ When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ³⁵ By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. ³⁶ Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” ³⁷ He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” ³⁸ He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” ³⁹ So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. ⁴¹ Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. ⁴⁴ Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

Reflect:

What do you think is an urgent problem in your community or parish?

What do you think is the solution, and how can you be part of this?

Read the Bible in one year! Read JOHN 1 - 4 today.

From the very beginning, God has been revealing Himself in various ways: through the natural world, through the prophets’ words, and through mighty acts and wonders. Yet all these revelations were mere glimpses of His true nature, preparatory steps leading to the ultimate revelation—Jesus Christ.

In the incarnation, God revealed Himself in the most direct and intimate way. Jesus becomes our best look into who and what God is. His teachings, His actions, and His emotions are glimpses unequaled to our God. So, when the

Gospel describes Jesus as being moved with pity and compassion (Mark 6:34), it shows that God’s heart is truly, deeply moved by our suffering and sin.

As our First Reading tells us, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9-10). This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Yet, the feeding of the five thousand reveals another layer of God’s heart. For while He could solve the problem a myriad ways through His divine power, He instead opts to include us in the solution. His aim is to empower us. All along, this is how God has planned to save us: by letting us participate in His saving work. God becoming man was not just to feed helpless children but to empower our humanity to do what divinity has perfected: selfless love.

As we are only in the first few days of this year, may we make it a priority to grow our ability to sacrifice out of love. Let us be open to more lessons that God’s school of love provides, for such is the only way to salvation: to love as God loves. Fr. Albert Garong, SSP

reflection question

How are you being called to become a part of God’s solutions and answers to the problems around you?

My heart is full of thanks, O Lord, for the grace to be part of Your saving work. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________________________