January 19, 2020 – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we begin the ordinary time of the Church, today’s readings remind us of our individual missions.  In the first reading, we saw how the servant prophet, Isaiah’s mission was chosen from the womb to show God’s glory while Paul’s in the second reading was to be an apostle.  In the gospel, John carried out his mission bearing witness to Christ, testifying that he is the Son of God.

Dearest sisters and brothers, just like Isaiah and Paul, each of us is entrusted with a mission by God from our birth.  It is to bear witness to Christ like John in individual circumstance of our lives.  Our world is like a court of law where the devil and his agents are like prosecutors, denying God’s truth, goodness, love, and mercy.

Each of us is like one of the witnesses called upon to bear testimony for the Lord before the world through our lives.  As we know, one cannot be a credible witness if one does not have firsthand knowledge of the event or the person he or she bears witness about.  If we think about Trump’s impeachment, for example, one of the arguments is that those bearing witness to his impeachment do not have first-hand knowledge of the event.

To have firsthand knowledge and experience of the Lord, each of us is invited today to find the Lord in the ordinary things of life.  That is also the meaning of ordinary time of the Church.  It is important to always remind ourselves that God is not absent from the routine of our lives but we must find him there.

One example of finding the Lord in the ordinary things of our lives is to consecrate every action of ours from the moment we get up in the morning.  Every day, when I get up, there is a prayer for the consecration to God of my whole faculties:  my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve which I pray.  Remember, when we think about our daily faults, these faculties are major culprits.  Finally, I also consecrate everyone I am going to meet in the day so that each person becomes an instrument of God’s presence for and to me.