Tuesday, January 19
Liturgical Color: Green
January is dedicated to the Holy Name of
Jesus. The Litany of the Holy Name of
Jesus can be traced back at least to the
1400s. The Litany invokes various titles
of Jesus, praising Him as our God and
Savior.
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath. (Mark 2:28)
If you’ve ever had a garden, you have learned the importance of weeding. No matter how well you prepare the soil, weeds always seem to come up, and left untended, they will take over. Weeding is not just a one-time effort, either. Even if you spend hours removing weeds, you shouldn’t be surprised to see them take root and spread—sometimes very quickly!
During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we can look at the call to ecumenism in many ways. Maybe it’s best if we keep a “weeder’s mentality.” The Pharisees in today’s Gospel criticized Jesus because his disciples weren’t following their rules. In the Old Testament, Samuel couldn’t believe David was chosen by God because he was too young. These types of judgmental or dismissive thoughts have just as much potential to bring disunity as weeds have to take over a garden.
What kind of thoughts do you have when you look at members of other churches? Are you quick to condemn or open and generous? If you find yourself on the condemning side, take hold of these thoughts, and bring them to the cross of Christ—even if they are only deep-down thoughts that you never give voice to. Each of us can become an agent of healing and reconciliation to the degree to which we uproot the negative attitudes that lurk in our hearts.
Christian unity need not remain a lofty goal that we can’t really achieve. By taking our own thoughts captive and actively sowing seeds of generosity and forgiveness, we can all bring healing to the body of Christ. We may not have a direct effect on the leaders of the various Christian traditions, but we will have an effect on the world around us. We will be making it ripe for reconciliation and ready for ecumenism.
So bring your negative thoughts to the cross this week, and then watch how much more peaceful you are inside. You’ll begin looking at people through God’s eyes, and that will make you more able to bring his loving presence into the world.
“Father in heaven, Father of all, use me to bring reconciliation in the Church today. Help me be an agent of healing and unity for your divided people.”
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Psalm 89:20-22, 27-28