Anticipating this Sunday’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the final official day of the Christmas season, let us remember that, by virtue of our Baptism, we are called to be prophets, witnesses, and missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the intercession of Our Lady, to the ends of the earth!
The truth is that the modern world listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if it does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses. In Evangelization, then, (a) the example of a Christian life and (b) the proclamation of Christ are inseparable. One is at the service of the other. Pope Francis has said that “they are like the two lungs with which any community must breathe, if it is to remain alive and vibrant.” Only a complete, consistent, and joyful witness to Christ will be a force of attraction for the growth of the Church and, closer to home, our own parish community.
Let us pray. “Lord, you have given us your Mother in order that she might accompany us always and everywhere. May she take care of us and protect us on our journey, in our hearts, and in our faith. May she inspire us to be disciples after her own heart. May she teach us to go wherever we need to go so that your Good News will be shared far and wide. May she, by her meekness and by her peace, show us the way to you, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.”
