Everybody seeks happiness in life. But not everybody seeks happiness in the same way.

Some feel that they will find happiness through wealth or power or fame or pleasure.

The truth is that happiness is only found by becoming who we were meant to be by living out the human nature that God created us to be. This is the Gospel message of Jesus today.

Last week we heard Jesus proclaiming that the kingdom of God is close at hand, he calls his first followers and heals the sick. Today Jesus begins his teaching ministry. 

Matthew’s Gospel is always comparing Jesus with Moses. Like Moses, when Jesus was born, children were killed. Like Moses, Jesus comes from Egypt. Like Moses, Jesus goes up to the mountain now to bring God’s law. But Jesus now comes to perfect that law in us that God gave through Moses.

And so today, Jesus gives us a new way of being with God, a new relationship with God.

Jesus presents us with the key to peace and happiness in our lives in the well-known ‘Sermon on the Mount’.

The Beatitudes forms the essence of Christian discipleship. It is a new way of living and loving. It is the way to holiness and wholeness, of being a total human person created in the image of God. The Beatitudes are in fact a contradiction with the worldly attitude of what success and happiness is.

Here, Jesus teaches us that it is by having a right relationship with God, others and self that we will find peace and happiness, now and in the future.

The poor in spirit are those who recognise our need of God and the gift of God in others.

The gentle are those who always put others before self.

Those who mourn are those who suffer because out of love they feel in their heart the suffering of others.

Those who hunger and thirst for what is right seeks right relationship with God and others.

Mercy is the fruit of love that seeks to heal and to reconcile.

The pure in heart are those who can see the goodness in others and respect their dignity.

The peacemakers are those who are at peace with self and others because they know that God is with them.

Those who seek justice, seek God’s kingdom because in God’s Kingdom is perfect justice and peace.

There are many roads we can take in search of happiness. Many of them like power, wealth, fame and pleasure end up in dead ends, and they are covered with human wreckage, the injuries we inflict on others. We will feel empty at the end of the day.

And it is also not what we do that brings happiness no matter how good that can seem to be. For instance we can give to charity and yet not be happy if we give grudgingly or reluctantly.

The Beatitudes reveal that happiness is found in WHO WE ARE when seen in us the living Grace of God. For then we become truly human created in the image of God, we are One with God.

ISAIAH 8: 23-9: 3

PSALM 26: 1, 4, 13-14

1 CORINTHIANS 1: 10-13, 17

MATTHEW 4: 12-23

————————————————————————————In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his mission with the words, “Repent, for the kingdom is close at hand.”

Jesus is inviting us to his kingdom and he is the light that will lead us there. Our response as the words of Jesus suggest, is one of repentance, and conversion.

The challenge for us is to recognize our own darkness and so let Jesus light shine that we can move away from that darkness. Mother Teresa of Calcutta tells a story of a man she visited in Melbourne. His little unit was a mess and dark with everything closed. And there he lived never venturing out unless for necessities. As she tried to clean up the place and open the curtains and windows, he told her not to worry for he was happy with the unit as it was.

We are sometimes like that man not realizing the darkness we live in because we have got so used to it. And because of this we refuse to let the light of Christ lead us to the kingdom of love. Even St Paul in the second reading had to remind the good Christians of Corinth of their dark side.

People will say though that Jesus said “Come as you are.”Jesus loves us no matter who we are, but because he loves us, he is concern when we let sin rule and destroy us He wants to help us out of our darkness into his kingdom of heaven.

Being a Christian is an ongoing conversion to God’s Wayof love to grow in holiness..

When we look at Jesus’ ministry, he cured many of their illness and demons. But they came to Jesus. And the spiritual healing is more important than the physical healing.

We too need to bring our sinfulness to Jesus that he may heal us and strengthen us.

Where is our darkness where we need to let the light of Christ to shine: is it violence, hatred, prejudice, fear, laziness, indifference, selfishness, pornography, unfaithfulness, greed, etc.

Matthew is inviting us through a journey with Peter and Andrew, and James and John as they journey with Jesus, to hear about the kingdom and live in it.

As we begin this journey, let us ask ourselves how ready are we to follow Jesus? Are we ready to take Jesus seriously in all he teaches? Are we ready to go where he calls us to? What if it gets difficult, will we abandon the journey? In Matthew’s Gospel, before Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus told the parable of the wedding feast and how so many gave excuses for not coming. Are we ready to follow Jesus, or do we make excuses for not seeking to grow in faith?

The immediate response of Peter and Andrew, and James and John suggest the importance and urgency of the message and the faith they had in Jesus.

And there, is the reason for our journey with Jesus….our faith in him. He is our saviour and he is God, who else can we turn to? This is first and foremost, a journey of faith….If we say we believe in God and Christ His Son, let us follow him.

Let us put our faith in what he teaches because it is the light that leads us to life.

ISAIAH 49: 3, 5-6
PSALM 39: 2, 4, 7-10
1 CORINTHIANS 1: 1-3
JOHN 1: 29-34

---

Amidst the tragedies of bush fires and cyclones and floods we always hear of many heroic stories of saving lives and neighbour helping neighbour. It is a great witness of the human spirit and the goodness that is within us. And whilst it can seem so dark, people will rise again if they know that they are supported with love in this time of trial.
Where love prevails, darkness is overcome.

In the same way Jesus comes to save us from a darkness that engulfs us. For there is one challenge in life that we all struggle with is the challenge that is sin. Sin is like the bush fires and cyclones, can becomes too strong for us to overcome as it destroys us.

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist gives witness to the Lamb of God who comes to help us through this tragedy in life. God does not leave us to ourselves but sends His Son, Jesus that we may rise from our struggle against our sinfulness. The prophet Isaiah in the first reading speaks about Jesus who comes to save the world.

For without Christ, sin would drag us down in despair.

Jesus, the Lamb of God recalls the sacrifice of the lamb at the Passover when the Jews were slaves in Egypt, and unable to save themselves. It is God who freed them from slavery. The sacrifice of lambs then became a sin offering restoring the people’s relationship with God.

Jesus is the new lamb, the perfect Lamb of God who frees us from the slavery of sin.

John the Baptist and St Paul are encouraging the people to follow Christ that we may be saved. Unfortunately, whenever disasters are approaching, some people would ignore the warnings given. Likewise, some people feel they do not need the God’s salvation.

With the cyclones and fire, we can see the danger coming. With sin, we often do not recognize it and can be so easily be misled because it is pride or our emotions that controls us.

For instance we can be persuaded by our friends who might live a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s law;
Or when we are controlled by our emotions: how often people do things in their anger only to regret it later.
Or when we are led by our hatred and prejudices to inflict injury either by word or deed on others.

Sin is deadly and destructive for it destroys our very soul. God comes not only to take away our sins but to lead us to the way of life and love.

Today as we begin the year, let us ask ourselves how do we respond to God’s gift of salvation? Do we listen to the Word that guides us or do we choose to go our own way.
Do we keep God close to our hearts through prayer or do we wonder far from Him. Do we reach out to the hand of God which offers forgiveness or do we feel we have no need of forgiveness and mercy pushing His hand away?

As we begin our year, then let us choose for God and seek His way. Let us seek His presence for that is the best way to preserve ourselves from sin.