The first reading from the book of prophet Isaiah (Is 8:23-9:3) focuses on the life of the people of two Israelite border towns of Zebulun and Naphtali which were situated West of Lake Galilee. As border town people, they lived and mingled with Canaanites and Phoenicians who became snares to their religious practises. Hence, their land was referred to as the “Province of the nations” which was walking in Darkness due to the influence of idolatrous belief systems. The Oracle of prophet Isaiah contained in this first reading was that “The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.” Thus, the Lord was about to lift the status of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and their inhabitants. They are no longer to be regarded as people at the fringe of the society — they are now part of the mainstream.

In the Second Reading, Paul pled for unity among the believers in Corinth. He was dismayed at the division among the worshippers as he criticised some of the slogans that were prevalent among them like ‘I am for Paul’, ‘I am for Apollo’, ‘I am for Cephas’, ‘I am for Christ’. He urged them to come back to their senses since only Christ is the reality, Paul, Apollo, and Cephas were mere servants of Christ. It was Christ who died and rose for their Justification.

The Gospel (Mt 4:12-23) presents us with Jesus’ early public ministry which commenced after the arrest of John the Baptist. He left his home of Nazareth and settled in the town of Capernaum which bordered the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience and wanting to prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ, believed that Jesus’ re-settlement at Capernaum had fulfilled the prophecy: “Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.”

It was significant that Jesus began his ministry in a region that had people from other nationalities living in it. It showed that Jesus’ mission, though it had the Jewish religion and culture as a springboard, has a universal outlook. Jesus will not only send the twelve apostles to the Jewish territories (Mt 10:5), but will also send seventy-two disciples to the nations (Lk 10:1-24), and after his death and resurrection commanded his disciples to make disciples of all the nations and to baptise them “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus’ message at the onset of his ministry was to call humanity to a conversion of heart: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” Jesus is calling humanity back to her innocence at creation. The mission entrusted to Jesus by his Father was to show humanity how to be truly human — to acknowledge through words and deeds that we were created in the image of God, and created male and female, that is, in a community. Hence the need for inter-dependence and solidarity.

Every individual is unique and must be treated with dignity. Our human dignity is not based on our status in the society or wealth or educational achievement, or race, but on the spirit of God in us.

The call to repentance is a call to conversion of manners, to purge out envy, jealousy, licentiousness, greed, injustice and hatred from our hearts. I acknowledge that at times, notwithstanding our genuine efforts to eliminate some bad habits in our lives, we still struggle with them. In those circumstances, do not give up hope. Remain focused in prayer, fasting, almsgiving and taking concrete steps to avoid the occasions of sin. The Lord will see you through and one day you may realise that a miracle has happened in your life — you are now relieved of that vice!