Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

God is good – all the time!
The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians shows us how personally God loves us and how uniquely He has chosen to create each one of us:
“Brothers and sisters: there are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit

We are all unique but we all have the gift, the ability, and by virtue of our baptism, the call to share the light of Jesus Christ with the world. Each and every one of us can:

  • Offer hope when there is none.
  • Offer encouragement when it is needed most.
  • Offer kindness and compassion despite being surrounded by indifference or hatred.
  • Offer patience when we’re met with impatience.
  • Offer to give others a hand up, so they can regain their light and their glow.
  • Offer Jesus.

Everyday there are ordinary moments in which the Holy Spirit invites us to use our gifts, our talents, our words, and our hearts to God’s glory. You may be surprised by what graces the Lord shares with you.

I invite you to prayerfully consider how God is leading you to share the Good News so others may feel the warmth of compassion and come closer to Christ. Consider for instance, those who grew up in the church and have chosen to walk away; those living in poverty; the young or the elderly who feel unloved; shut-ins and those in prison. How may we listen with the ear of the heart and respond lovingly as Jesus would?

Certainly the stewards at the wedding feast in Cana didn’t expect to be part of a miracle that day, but when the Blessed Mother instructed, “Do whatever He tells you” their lives were “enlarged” for their participation. Jesus gave the servers a simple and seemingly mundane task, telling them to fill some stone jars with water. They did what He told them to do and Jesus used their attentiveness and cooperation in the accomplishment of that simple task to perform His first miracle, turning that water into the choicest wine.

Our Lord didn’t have to include those servers in order to perform this miracle, but He chose to. Today, He still chooses to include us in the performance of His miracles through our cooperation with Him in using the gifts and talents He has given us.

Let us take care to listen to our Blessed Mother, to listen to one another, to look for those in need, and to reflect on our lives to make the best use of the gifts God has entrusted to us for the benefit of those around us. If we all take this call to heart, God will perform miracles in our families and our parish and the universal Church.