Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time - February 9, 2025 (Year C)

This week, I feel like the message is very clear.  Through Isaiah, St Paul's letter, and the Gospel, we are told of similar situations occurring throughout all the readings: God cleanses all who are willing.  We'll dig into both parts of this message, examining the latter part first - the willingness of man.

In all three readings, we are told how each views themselves as unworthy of the grace of God.  This is the crucial step in the lives of the three "unworthy" holy men.  In their acknowledgement that they are unable to achieve God's grace through their own actions, their slate has been cleared to begin their new journey with God and Jesus.  While they do not go through their sins and list their flaws, God knows their heart and sincerity of their repentance.  With the respect and devotion that they exhibit, God provides His empowering Love and Grace in return.

For Isaiah, St. Paul, and St. Peter, these moments we see recounted in these readings are the jumping off point for their ministries.  God works miracles through their repentant hands and resolute faith.  He cleansed them and made them the worthy conduits of His Word on Earth.  Their works are a testament to God's Love, as His Love is unconditional and knows no bounds.  

We must be like them, willing to put our pride aside and accept that we have sinned and have failed.  When we have done that and accepted God's grace, our works will become His and we will be able to do what we could not have achieved on our own.


Disclaimer: This will be at the bottom of all reflections, but I’m not intending to put out any sort of professional critique, attempt at a homily, or investigation into the historicity of the readings, but will “let the Spirit move me” as some say, to share what has spoken to me in my reading and reflection on the set of Readings for each week. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - January 19, 2025 (Year C)

What a great set of readings to begin this journey.  Not just in the Gospel, with Jesus performing his first public miracle, which echoes my beginning here with this project, albeit with mine beginning on a much smaller scale and in a more insignificant way...  But in starting with the first line of the First Reading, I feel like it is my own soul crying out that it will “not be quiet”.  In continuing to the Psalm, I (we) must “proclaim His marvelous deeds”, which are loving and miraculous, pointing towards what is to be read in the Second Reading and the Gospel.  This week, I’ll focus on the latter two readings mainly, as they resonated most with me. In the Second Reading, Paul is writing to the Corinthians around two thousand years ago, and yet the words seemingly could be spoken to any of us.  The Lord, through the Holy Spirit, provides gifts to us all, and it is part of our journey to find the proper outlets and use of those gifts.  We may be skilled ...
Read more

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time - February 16, 2025 (Year C)

This week, a consistent theme delivers an always-relevant message: Put your trust in the Lord, and all will be well.  From the stark contrast of the images provided in the First Reading to the Beatitudes delivered by Jesus in the Gospel, we hear the virtues that are attainable, if only we will listen and follow.  The Psalm reiterates this message as well, encouraging us to live in God's light. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians gives us the reason - Christ has won.  It is a consequence of combining faith with our default human condition that what seems easy and straightforward on paper is not so in practice.  Of course I don't want to be like the wicked, those doers of evil from long ago who are driven away like the chaff of wheat in the wind.  But when you ask me if I want to be satisfied here and now on earth (with money, food, etc...), my gut response would likely be yes.  It is the internal conversation that happens in response to these questions...
Read more

Life Lesson 03: Be Prepared

Using my lack of foresight into the liturgical calendar last week as a learning opportunity, I wanted to put something together on preparation.  I now have two different calendars that I'll be checking to make sure no more feasts sneak up on me prior to writing my reflections each week - a new step in my preparation that I have added each week. I think preparation is one of the key attributes to staying ahead of life's troubles.  Preparation gets you in the mindset of knowing your reactions to different situations ahead of time.  Preparation instills confidence and strength to achieve your goals.  Preparation allows for the adaptability that will inevitably be needed as you navigate life's problems.  Preparation gives us the license to be proactive instead of reactive, changing the situation to be better instead of trying to fix a broken one. Preparation takes many different forms and is an ever-evolving task.  As a kid, my first exposures to preparation we...
Read more