Reflection
Hebrews 10:19-25
Psalm 24
Mark 4:21-25
Be careful with what you do and say! Jesus tells us in today’s gospel to keep vigilant in carrying for His mission – to love God with all you have and love others the way you want to be loved. At Christmas we celebrate the coming of Jesus as a baby by sharing presents, and cards, and having get togethers....all good stuff. We celebrate the great gift that Jesus has given to us – that being Himself.
We are called to use that gift wisely by helping people become, as the author and speaker Matthew Kelly puts it, the best version of themselves. As we move forward doing that, Jesus reminds us that we can be a shining example to others are lead them to Christ, or we can tear people down. In all of it, Jesus sees what we do.
By our baptism we have been given a great gift. During baptism we were all anointed priest, prophet and king. Priest because we are responsible to sacrifice in order to lead others to God, prophet because we are called to speak the truth, and king because we are called to lead others to God.
To do that, we must proudly display our faith in our everyday lives. Everything in our lives either brings people to God or drives them away - by our words and actions. Jesus is calling us to always be that person who will help others grab hold of the hope offered by God. Life is definitely much better when we are a source of hope! Now go get ‘em!!
It is a great day! Smile at God today!