Readings:
Mark 1: 14-15
Luke 4: 16-22
from Pope St. John Paul II:
Redemptoris Missio, 13
Reflection:
Recently, I shared a store ad with a friend. It was a decent discount on something I thought she would need. I mean, it's still up to her whether she rejects or accepts it and purchases the items on that ad. But either way, I saw good news in discounted prices, and I couldn't help but share it. (purse holsters for concealed handguns are perhaps practical contraptions...)
Looking to Jesus, I know that the words He said, the miracles He performed, and all the stories about Him are collectively Good News. He preaches the Good News. He does the Good News. He is the Good News. I guess I never realized that Christ, in totality, is the Good News. Pope St. John Paul II writes
Since the "Good news" is Christ, there is an identity between the message and the messenger, between saying, doing and being. His power, the secret of the effectiveness of his actions, lies in his total identification with the message he announces; he proclaims the "Good News" not just by what he says or does, but by what he is...I identify myself as Christian, and after reading that I now wonder if my identity as such manifests itself in a total manner like His. I'm not perfect, but certainly that perfection is worth striving for.
Today's readings touch on how the hour has come and that Jesus fulfills the prophecies about Him. Now, because of that, we must repent and believe in the Good News in order for us to enter into His kingdom.
This preparation for Total Consecration is indeed helping me welcome Christ and His Good News into my life through Mary. Through my cooperation with God's grace, I can enjoy that everlasting joy in His friendship and behold His face.
Response:
Being very intentional with this last week of preparation since I am to make my act of total consecration in less than a week. This week focuses on the knowledge of Christ. No excuses, I shall read the Daily Readings.
Of course, daily Rosary.
And for us at my parish, confession is on Thursdays. I will go. No excuses.
Totus tuus,
- JD
Jesus preaching in the synagogue // Tillhecomes.org
