Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA
“Today is the Third Sunday of Year A in the Church’s liturgical calendar. The Gospel recounts the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus was baptized by John, at which moment God revealed Jesus as His Son. Jesus then withdrew and went into the desert to prepare for His mission, where He overcame the temptations of Satan. When He returned, Jesus heard that John had been arrested. The Gospel tells us that from that time on, Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’
Jesus then called His first disciples—fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John—who from then on would become fishers of men. They followed Him without hesitation. Together with them, Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people.”
These reflections come from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Evangelization (Propaganda Fide) of the Universal Catholic Church, as part of his meditation for Sunday, January 25, 2026.
Mwanakwetu also visited Vatican Radio, where there was a somewhat longer reflection delivered by Father Bonaventura Maro from Austria. He began his meditation by building upon the words of the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, for this Sunday:
“Third Sunday: the Sunday of the Word of God and the 59th Day of Prayer for Christian Unity. Pope Leo XIV encourages the faithful of the Catholic Church to commit themselves seriously to praying for Christian unity, so that full and visible unity among all Christians may be achieved. He says that Almighty God, through Jesus Christ, speaks to human beings as one speaks to a friend. This is an invitation to the faithful to cultivate a culture of reading, reflecting on, and ultimately embodying the Word of God in the reality of their daily lives, together with prayer.”
Father Bonaventura Maro also mentioned four key points to be considered in all three readings of this Sunday:
“First: Where in my life am I still walking in darkness? God is calling you now to change and to begin anew. The first reading explains the condition of the nation of Israel when they were under Assyrian domination—a situation of fear, doubt, darkness, loss of hope, pain, and humiliation.
Second: The darkness of pride, envy, and selfishness. In my life—and in ours—my heart is often ruled by the darkness of pride and envy. God blesses us at certain times in order to test our outlook. He lifts us up to test how we will live out God’s blessings, for God Himself and for other people.
Third: Our conversion is not for our own sake alone, but for the building of unity and love within the family and the Church. The nation of Israel was raised up by God so that through them they might become a light to other nations. Likewise, Christ’s apostles were called by God and left everything behind not for themselves, but to advance the mission of spreading the Gospel to all nations.
Fourth and finally: Let us have courage and hope. Christ calls each one of us in our ordinariness; He makes us worthy, because the Lord is our light and our salvation—therefore, we should not fear. Psalm 27, in this Third Sunday, gives us heart and hope: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Christ does not call us because we are already perfect; rather, He makes worthy those whom He calls, out of their ordinariness, just as He called the apostles. But this requires our readiness.”
As these reflections continue within the walls of the church, the weather in the city of Kigoma is 27°C, humidity is 5%, probability of rain is 77%, and winds are blowing at 8 km per hour. In the town of Masasi, the temperature is 32°C, humidity is 20%, probability of rain is 50%, with winds at 5 km per hour. In the city of Bukoba, the temperature is 26°C, humidity is 0%, probability of rain is 65%, and winds are blowing at 13 km per hour.
Mwanakwetu, are you there? Remember:
“Commit yourselves to praying for Christian unity.” – Pope Leo XIV
I wish you a good day.
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