Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

12 And at once the Spirit drove him into the desert

13 and he remained there for forty days, and was put to the test by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels looked after him.

14 After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the gospel from God saying,

15 ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel.’

Reflection:

Our gospel for today talks about things that we must always dwell: fasting, proclamation of the Gospel, and repentance.

What is fasting? For ordinary people, they hear fasting sometimes or once a year during Lenten Season. This word is even used by diet practitioners all around the globe to make their self-skinny or fit. But, in the bible, fasting is a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible to voluntarily reduce or eliminate your intake of food for a specific time or purpose. Jesus in our Gospel today went into the dessert to fast for forty days. Jesus is the son of God and yet He manages to deprive Himself of the world food that His body needs for a certain purpose. As His sons and daughters, a simple fasting may not be so difficult for us. We can fast ourselves one meal a day to offer to the poor and the needy the meals we gave up. The purpose if to make us vessels in doing charity for our brothers and sisters in Christ

The second thing is the proclamation of the Gospel. This means that the Kingdom of Heaven is very close to come to us for the final judgment. When the time will come, God will not announce His coming. He will be like a thief in the night and only those who are prepared will be saved. Those who wait for the groom to come will enter the kingdom hall without any hesitation. “Repent says the Lord, the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.”

Then comes repentance. Many will ask, how can we be saved? The answer is simple, repent. People like us are sinners but we can repent and do penitence to amend our sins. God will not abandon those who trust and believe in Him for He is gracious and full of kindness. In order to make ourselves worthy we must proclaim the Kingdom of God by doing good works in our Christian community.

Fasting, proclamation of the Gospel, and repentance. We must abide to these three for us to better do what is asked of us by our Father in heaven. Happy Sunday to all and let the blessings of God unfold into your homes! – Helpline PH