January 27 // 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27
Gospel: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Jesus begins our Gospel today with the words: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”

Can we say the same of the Spirit? We ARE baptized into Christ, Jesus to share in his priestly and prophetic ministry. The Spirit is in our every breath and in our every urge to say or do something loving, compassionate and helpful. The Spirit pulses through our world in saving acts and inspiring words, in ordinary people like you and me who are given spiritual gifts to make a positive difference in our family, our church, our neighborhood, our workplace, our school and village, town, state, nation, and world. Most of us have no clue we are spiritually gifted. Our spirituality deepens as we listen with heartfelt expectation to God’s Word and ask for the fire of God’s Word to ignite us. When we respond with our whole self to an invitation to meet or help or read or see or change something in the interests of the common good, we may have no idea it is God’s spiritual urging. As we serve the common good we cooperate with grace.

Jesus began his public ministry bringing glad tidings to the poor, proclaiming liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. What are some of the ways we do these things in his name? In sharing in Jesus’ ministries we and the Holy Spirit are living out our baptismal promises.

Blessings,
Deni Mack, D.Min.
Pastoral Associate