Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s readings, we see how God acts in our lives; he calls us and then exceeds our expectations. Our God is not a God who is distant, but rather a God who enters into our lives and brings us closer to Himself, and then raises us up to become more than we could have ever imagined.
God raises us up by humbling himself and coming to us in our need. The Psalmist says, “I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry and he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God” In our time of need, when we are crying out, God hears our cries and like a Father, has compassion for his children and kneels down to comfort them, wiping away their tears. Our God comforts us and comes from his royal throne to stoop down and wipe away our tears. This compassion and love for us put a new song into our hearts, one of praise and love for our God but this is only the beginning of what God does for us.
In our first reading, we see how God goes beyond our needs. He has known us from the beginning and formed us in the womb to be his servants. He gathers us to himself and gives us strength and glorifies us. This is not enough, for he calls us to be more and do more. God says, “It is too little for you to be my servant… I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Through our baptism, we are brought into God’s embrace and share in the Glory of his Kingship, Priesthood, and his role as Prophet. As King, we are no longer enslaved to sin and are raised up to share in his Glory. As Priest, we make sacrifice in atonement for our sins and the sins of the world. This sacrifice we make is like the one that Christ made by dying on the Cross; we die to self and give our lives over to God out of Love for Him who raises us up from our lowliness and gives us hope. And as Prophet, we proclaim the Good News given to us in the life, death, and resurrection of our beloved Lord Jesus. We, like St. John the Baptist, must proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” In our proclamation of God’s mercy and love for us, we will truly, through his grace, become “a light to the nations” so that his “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections