Today we return back into Ordinary Time on the liturgical calendar. We will remain in Ordinary Time until February 22, Ash Wednesday. On this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel continues to center on the manifestation of the Lord, which we celebrated last Sunday on Epiphany. From the Old Testament we hear the call of Samuel, and with him say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Then Paul reminds us that our call to discipleship makes us members of Christ’s Body and temples of the Holy Spirit. Finally, from the disciples who leave John the Baptist to follow Jesus, we learn that being a disciple not only staying with Jesus ourselves, but leading others to meet him as well.
This Monday, our country observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We pray that all racism, bigotry and prejudice will be banished from the earth. This Wednesday marks the beginning of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Let us pray that the unity of believers which graced the early Church will transform the faith and charity of all Christians today.
Next weekend we will be blessed with an Icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe, hosted by the Knights of Columbus. The Knights have embarked on a pilgrimage with Our Lady of Guadalupe, bearing her image from parish to parish to spread her message and her love. For nearly 500 years millions of people have shown great devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, struck by her words to Juan Diego, “Am I not your Mother?” From her first appearance at Tepeyac in 1531, she has bestowed on humanity a tender motherly concern, and this remains an important part of her message today. If we approach Our Lady of Guadalupe as our mother, then she is not only a mother to us, she is a mother to everyone. That means that we are all one family, despite our different countries and cultures. As we welcome this Image to Holy Cross I pray that Our Lady of Guadalupe will bring us closer together as Church, as a community, and as a world in need of her words of peace and unity.
Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will," urges us to listen for God’s voice in our lives and respond joyfully to God’s call.
