WORD 2day: Monday after Epiphany
January 5, 2026 - 1 John 3:22 - 4:6; Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25
Testing the spirits, apostle John speaks of in the first reading today! Today this is so important a task for us to do, for so many of our own children of God are drawn away by spirits that are so selfish and ungodly.
How many times we have encountered faithful, vociferouslt complaining, 'I saw a video of a preacher of one of the denominations spreading calumny against the Holy Father and calling him names! How can he do that?' We can only smile at them and say, 'there were those who calumniated against Jesus himself, they killed John the Baptist and thwarted the first Christian community with the same calumny... so my dear brother or sister, why worry?'
However, the Word today gives us a special task: to test the spirits... and not to accept everything that seems to be showy. How do we test? There are three criteria that can be culled out from today's readings:
1. Love: Is what is told and done, done out of true, genuine and authentic love, or for selfish motives?
2. Life: Is what is spoken and what is initiated, life promoting, life enhancing and life giving?
3. Lord: Is what is being aimed at truly Lord oriented, or is it self oriented, or purse oriented, or kith and kin oriented?