The scriptures for these first weeks in Ordinary Time speak to our hearts in a powerful way. We hear the Lord Jesus calling others to follow him. The Lord calls us daily and sets us on our journey of faith. As we journey through this New Year may we all find time to reflect more deeply on the word, and pray that we will remain strong in our commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Perhaps we can all begin Discipleship 101, and ask ourselves how did our journey begin as a follower of Jesus? Perhaps your parents saw to your Baptism, although some make that decision later in life. Others have the advantage of a Catholic Education or religious instruction that was parish-based. Many had special mentors in the faith: priests and religious sisters, grandparents or siblings, friends or teachers whose love and example made Christianity both credible and attractive. Consider how to give the gift of faith to children. You, too, can be a spiritual mentor!
The theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18 25), “We shall all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” asks us to consider the entrenched role of sinners and losers in our society and then to move beyond such oppositional thinking. Our prayer this week is to reach toward the level of awareness where opposites like winners and losers are transcended and reconciled through the forces of love and compassion. That is the “victory” of this year’s theme. That is the mindset of Jesus. That kind of change, however, is going to take more than a week. Still, we must begin where we are. What will you do to put this prayer into action?
In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. Here is the prayer for Mass on Monday:
God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother’s womb; grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life.
Pray that all who will be attending the March For Life in Washington, D.C. on Monday, including myself, may have a safe trip.
Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Teach me your ways, O Lord," reminds us to look to our Lord for guidance as we try to follow more closely the example of Jesus.
