2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Living in the comfortable age of the 21st century, it is so easy for us humans to forget what being out of our comfort zone feels like. It is easy to be swept up by the latest technologies, science advancements, or fun trends. Now, this is not to say we shouldn’t enjoy or marvel at these things, since God is the creator of all good things, but we need to be careful not to let them distract us from our mission. Namely, our mission that helps us and those we encounter along our path to eternal life.
As we settle into Ordinary Time, our Mass readings this week are an inspirational reminder about the fight that each follower of Jesus Christ is called to: to evangelize. Ordinary Time is not a time to slack off or take a break, it is a time to grow. Hence the color green the Church uses for this season, like a plant! John the Baptist reminds us that, truly, there is One greater than us in our midst. John hears the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and acts upon them, in obedience and with faith, not knowing what might happen or when it will happen. John prepares the way for the Lord by preaching about the Messiah before He even came and was a light to many before the True Light made Himself known.
He models for us the bold request that God is asking of us. The prophet Isaiah says in the first reading: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
My encouragement to you this week is to set time aside during prayer to ask the Lord who you are personally called to witness the love of Christ to. Witnessing His love to others in our own state of life is His will for every Christian. It probably is that one person who gets on your nerves, the ways you can respond in charity and prudence when on the road instead of defaulting to raging, a kind smile you can offer to the person who checks you out at the grocery store, or if the opportunity presents itself, you may very well be called to share the gospel message with someone. But most importantly, we are called to pray for people.
Every single day, in each moment we are in, may we find more ways to make Jesus known. Allow us to rely on God’s strength as we receive Him in the Eucharist and echo the words from the Psalms during Mass: “Here I am, Lord, I come to do Your will.”