Fr. Tom's Homily | Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Since our deacons are preaching this weekend, this is my reflection of the readings.

In my own spiritual life, I have to make a conscious decision every day to live as a Christian. The grace of the Sacrament of Baptism flows into us like a flood when we intentionally live as a Chrisitan. I wonder if this is one of the reasons people leave the Church. Do we teach those being formed in the faith how to pray? I do not mean the mechanics of prayer; I mean the reality of prayer. Learning the mechanics and methodology is important, but if it is only on the surface or something we do to say we did it, then, it will not sustain us.

Prayer is developing a deep, intimate, joyful life of being in relationship with Jesus. Think about the Eucharist. When we receive him in Holy Communion, it is an intimate moment for us and for the church. We experience in our hearts the living presence of God who transforms us into His People. I watch how people come forward at Mass. Distracted, talking to a neighbor as they walk up the aisle, seemingly unaware of what is being received, etc. I am not advocating any particular way to receive the Eucharist because even those who choose the more traditional way can be unaware of how they receive also. It saddens me when we have “liturgy” wars about how to receive, who is more holy and respectful, who is correct, etc. My philosophy is to do what the Church asks and trust the Holy Spirit who has all the answers. It goes against the grain of what Baptism does; it makes us the Body of Christ, God’s Holy People, and brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, do I need to remember the day of my Baptism? Probably not. What I need to remember is not the ritual, but what the ritual did. It transformed me and you into a light for the nations. We must intentionally chose to be that light every day. Will we?