Light has dawned in darkness: Is 8:9; 1 Cor 1; and the first disciples in Mt 4.

# Textual References and Reflection on the Public Mission of Jesus

## Verse Citations:
– *Populus, qui sedebat in tenebris, vidit lucem magnam.* (Is 9:1 / Mt 4:16)

## I. First Reading: Isaiah 8:23b – 9:3
Isaiah prophesies a coming light to dispel darkness, stating, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:1). This light is promised to bring joy comparable to harvest time or a warrior’s triumph (v. 2). The context is the Galilean region, which had endured Assyrian invasion and oppression (Is 8:23b). Isaiah speaks of future liberation with the confidence of past history, declaring that the victory is so certain it can be recounted in prophetic past tense. Matthew will interpret this passage as fulfilled when Jesus establishes his base in Capernaum, “in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Mt 4:13), identifying Jesus as the light Isaiah promised for Galilee.

## II. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
Paul appeals to the Corinthians on behalf of Christ, urging them to avoid divisions and to be united in thought and purpose (1 Cor 1:10). He addresses a specific situation where some claim to belong to Paul, others to Apollo, yet others to Cephas, and still others to Christ (v. 12). Paul challenges their claims, asking if Christ was divided or if he was crucified for them (v. 13). He emphasizes that the gospel message is not a source of division but should lead to unity, reflecting the indivisibility of Christ. The Corinthians’ factionalism betrays the gospel they claim to proclaim.

## III. Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23
Matthew narrates the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee after John’s imprisonment. Jesus goes to Capernaum and begins to preach repentance, calling four fishermen (Andrew, Peter, James, and John) to follow him by the lake (v. 12-20). This marks the launch of his mission, where he is recognized as the light that dispelts spiritual darkness.

# The Light of Galilee

When Jesus learned that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee and made His home in Capernaum, by the lake, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali (Mt 4:12-13). Matthew sees this as the fulfillment of Isaiah 8:23–9:1: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (v. 16). Jesus begins to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 17). Passing by the lake, He sees two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew, casting their net, and calls out to them: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (v. 19). They leave their nets immediately and follow Him (v. 20). Further along, He sees another pair of brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, mending their nets in the boat with their father, and calls them. They leave their boat and their father and follow Him (vv. 21-22). Jesus travels throughout Galilee teaching, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people (v. 23). Matthew’s account of the call of the disciples is structured in a mirror image: Jesus sees, calls, they leave, and follow. Their immediate abandonment of their nets and father is not irresponsibility; it is recognition that the light Isaiah promised has arrived.

## Mary and the Light of Galilee

Isaiah proclaims a great light for “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isa 8:23). Nazareth, where Mary lived, is a city in Galilee, making Mary literally the daughter of the land to whom Isaiah promises the light. She who lived her whole life in Nazareth, who raised Jesus in this Galilean town, is the first inhabitant of Galilee upon whom the great light was born. The annunciation took place in Nazareth: the light came to Galilee first through Mary before Jesus began His preaching in Capernaum. 1 Corinthians 1 calls for unity against divisions; Mary never created a faction around herself. She who said, “Let it be done according to your word” (Lk 1:38) did not put herself at the center; she pointed to Christ. Her life is the antithesis of the divisions in Corinth: there is no “Mary versus Christ,” because Mary exists only to point to Christ. The call of the first disciples in Matthew has a silent precedent: Mary was called before any of them, during the annunciation. She left her own way of thinking, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Lk 1:34), to follow God’s logic. She is the first to “leave the nets” and follow.