January 10: Preparing to Celebrate Sunday’s Mass / Preparándonos para Celebrar la Misa Dominical

A man was out in the country traveling along the by-roads where the signposts were few and far between. After some time, unsure of his directions, he decided to ask for help from the first person he saw. When he came across a farmer driving his cows home for milking, he stopped the car and asked if he was on the right road to Antelope. The farmer told him that he certainly was on the Antelope road. The driver thanked him and was about to move forward when the farmer added, in a nonchalant way, “You’re on the right road, but you’re going in the wrong direction!”

Even if we seldom think of it, each of us needs a sense of purpose and pattern in our living. When we set out on a journey, we need to have an idea of where we intend going, and how to make the journey. In Acts 10, 34-38, St. Peter summarized the purpose and pattern of Christ’s life when he said, “Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Baptism has launched us, so to speak, on our journey of faith and, along the way, we are invited to make the Lord’s purpose our own: going about doing good and healing – our relationships, our families, our world…

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Some wisdom to carry us through the weekend: We are not asked to toughen up our children so they can face a cruel and heartless world. We are asked to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless! How are we doing when it comes to pointing our children in the right direction?

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Hace unos días, celebrábamos la Epifanía, la manifestación del Señor, adorado por los magos. Y el domingo que viene, como una prolongación de esa Fiesta, vamos a celebrar el Bautismo del Señor, en la que resuenan estas palabras solemnes: “Tú eres mi Hijo muy querido, en quien tengo puesta toda mi predilección.”

Dios nos manifiesta la investidura Mesiánica de su Hijo: el Espíritu desciende sobre Jesús y es ungido por Él. No olvidemos que, también nosotros hemos sido ungidos por el Espíritu Santo y que nunca nos faltará su auxilio. De hecho, en nuestro Bautismo con agua y el Espíritu hemos recibido la misión de vivir como Jesús, de continuar haciendo el bien como Él, de ser fieles y justos para con Dios y con los demás. Que el Dios en cuyo nombre hemos recibido el Bautismo nos proteja, nos guíe, y nos bendiga por esta hermosa tarea.