Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 64
Reading 1
The LORD said to me: You are
my servant,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8a and 9a) Here am I,
Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Reading 2
Paul, called to be an apostle
of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him,
he gave power to become children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
John the Baptist saw Jesus
coming toward him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel."
John testified further, saying,
"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
We have all been called to holiness by Jesus Christ. It is through this calling that the greatness of Jesus Christ can be witnessed by the entire world if we choose to respond to this call, letting it dictate our thoughts and actions throughout our lives. The words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians come to mind as he writes:
“For the world in its present form is passing away.”
This serves as a reminder to us that there is something greater than anything that originated in this world and that it is that which we should be focusing our time and energy on: God. It is natural to focus on the things that are directly in front of us, thus physical things can easily take precedence over that which is spiritual, but it is in the spiritual where we can find true joy.
God offers encouragement through Isaiah, that whatever our present situation is, his greatness will shine through and there will be salvation. He is always a light shining through the darkness and the light cannot be ignored. This vision of glory and victory through responding to God’s call is present in all three readings today. The Apostle Paul starts his letter by reminding them the Corinthians are part of something far greater than they could possibly imagine, a call to holiness which unites them to a universal community and fellowship. John the Baptist testifies to the divinity of Jesus Christ and that it was through Him that we all of received the Gift of the Holy Spirit present in our baptism.
Now that the Christmas Season is behind us and we are now in Ordinary Time, we cannot forget what the Incarnation meant for us and all of God’s creation. The Word became flesh for the salvation of the world. It is through responding to Jesus’ call to holiness that that salvation is received. God tells us so tenderly through the prophet Ezekiel,
“I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees.”
This type of renewal and transformative experience does not just occur once. It is continuous. It is a way of life, a guiding force. Relying or focusing on physical things alone cannot bring this about. There will only be disappointment. Why limit us to that which by its very nature is limited. Saint Ignatius of Antioch reminds us that we should conform ourselves to the mind of God, so that His will replaces our will. When this occurs, we can be more able to hear the call to holiness and will be more apt to respond.
Asking God what He wants us to do and keeping focused on Him insures us that we are on the road to holiness. This includes recognizing when we are not doing His will and then making the adjustments necessary. We have been gifted with an intellect and are encouraged to use it in our relationship with God. We know when we are doing what is right. We know when we are doing wrong. These things are not a mystery. The challenge is to gain enough fortitude and temperance to act accordingly based on our knowledge. There should be a genuine willingness to do what is necessary if we have conformed our will to God’s and are journeying to holiness. We will also be able to feel His love and presence more because we are getting closer to Him. The more intimate we get, the more we feel, then the more we will want to continue.
Deacon Tom
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