Daily Reflection for Wednesday January 13,2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners!
We encourage you to reflect on Wednesday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011321.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Hebrew 2:14-18
Responsorial: Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
Our reflection on Wednesday’s readings:
“Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)
If someone asks you, are you prepared to share your life’s purpose? Do you have a 5 minute elevator speech prepared and ready to go? Is there a sense of purpose and conviction about the way you live your life physically, mentally, emotionally, and verbally?
These words are not intended to make you, the reader, feel inadequate or behind the 8-ball, but rather as a trip starter to somewhere deeper. Today’s Gospel from Mark provides insight into the ways that Jesus lived with conviction and did not rely on the world to determine how He should be or what He should say. He relied on His prayer life and his connection to His Father and the Holy Spirit. He knew what helped to keep Him centered and working on His mission while here on Earth. In the same way, He provides us with the example of leading first with prayer.
Mark 1:37-38 says, Everyone is looking for you. He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose, have I come. In these passages, Jesus points out to His disciples and to us His purpose among us. He has come to preach God’s message. He takes care of the sick, lonely and hurt of the communities He is visiting. But ultimately, He continues on His journey to ensure that His message is traveling as well; that is the purpose for which He came.
I find relevance in my own life. I know that God has me here for a purpose. For me to ensure that I am centered on that purpose, I am called to take that to prayer. It is easy to be distracted by all the worldly issues and circumstances surrounding me. There are many paths from which to choose daily. I desire to first and foremost lean into the purpose God has planned for my life. I cannot know or live that on my own. I need to first pray and then live out of that prayer.
As we return to ordinary time in our church year this week, won’t you join me in praying daily for guidance on the purpose for which God calls each of us?
In Heartfelt Joy,
Lynne Brennan