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    Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Homily – January 23, 2022

      Third Sunday in Ordinary Time ©

      INTRO: There is a certain amount of PREPARATION that goes into about all tasks or duties we undertake.

      For instance, most of you already know that I enjoy cooking.

      Many of you do as well!

      And to undertake cooking ANY RECIPE there must be SOME PREPARATION: like
      • buy the ingredients,
      • take food out of the freezer,
      • understand the recipe and so on.

      Well, how do we prepare for Mass?
      What kind of preparation do we really do?

      Maybe we:
      1. put on our SUNDAY best
      2. get ourselves in the right mindset like
      a. preparing ourselves for where we are going and what will experience
      3. make sure the children are dressed and readied
      4. read the scriptures in advance to help us hear the Word of God and to understand the homily that the priest or deacon will preach
      5. on the way to Mass, we may listen to CHRISTIAN MUSIC
      6. we may even get to confession the day before.

      When I read this Gospel story and prayed over it for you the phrase:
      “…in the power of the Spirit”
      got my attention.

      Luke is picturing the beginning of Jesus’s PUBLIC MINISTRY.
      Just prior to this EVENT IN THE SYNAGOGUE, and after he was baptized in the Jordon, Jesus was in the desert for forty days and forty nights PREPARING to be IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT and so to begin His Father’s plan for our redemption: His three-year PUBLIC MINISTRY.

      This was a beautiful, compelling, and remarkable PREPARATION for the TASK and DUTY AT HAND.

      You see, in all things there must be preparation and so I am inviting us to think more about that for your inspiration to make sure there is good, holy, and purposeful preparation for this great prayer whether at home with LIVETSREAM or right here in church. Preparing for Mass is truly important and significant

      I do see MANY of you using the missalette to read beforehand the readings. KUDOS to you!

      CONCLUSION

      AS JESUS was in the power of the Spirit as His preparation for ministry, that should be an example for us to get in the power of the Spirit for our worship, our ministry, our Christ-like living.

      While I mentioned some of the other things for which we may do to PREPARE OURSELVES,

      what about a PRAYER to the HOLY SPIRIT ……

      to open our minds and hearts to experience well this Mass, to hear adequately the prayers and readings, to honorable accept the real presence of Jesus in holy Communion?

      Come Holy Spirit, help us be fully prepared for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!

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