Today’s reading follows both the Baptism of Jesus (which we will celebrate January 12th) and the temptation of Jesus by the devil in the desert.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4, Jesus learns that John the Baptist has been arrested so Jesus goes to Galilee.  He has left Nazareth and gone to live in Capernaum “by the sea.”

Here’s what I want to focus on:  Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist when he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Of course, the kingdom is at hand due to the presence of Jesus as he is speaking the words, as well as his presence with us today, but what does that message mean for us today?

While listening to the latest episode of Opening God’s Word, let those words of John and Jesus sink in.  We are always wondering what we can DO to make a difference in this world, and here we have Jesus himself telling us!

Are we ready to repent of our sins and the sins of the world?  Just imagine how doing so would change the way we relate to each other and how we act!

I hope you will share this with a friend who might need a little encouragement today.

Have a blessed day in God’s Word!

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net