REFLECTION by Dianne Bergant CSA
The readings that are offered to us as we begin Ordinary Time carry over some of the themes that we considered during the Christmas season. Then we celebrated the new era that God inaugurated through the birth of Jesus. Now we look deeply into our minds and hearts to see just how open we are to the demands of that new year. Last Sunday we considered the manifestation of the Spirit at the time of the baptism of Jesus. This Sunday we contemplate the various manifestations of that same Spirit in our own lives. Finally, we are brought to realise that this variety of Spirit-filled ministries is intended to be a source of Christian unity and not of fragmentation or division.
One of the major themes gleaned from the readings for today is that of the call to newness. God summons us to something new, gives us a new name, provides us with new experiences, launches us into new ministries, and calls us to sing a new song of praise. Even Jesus experienced a call to newness. Through Mary, God called him out into ministry, a ministry that would bring the fruits of the eschatological age of fulfilment to the whole world. We may be inclined to think of Pentecost as the season of the Spirit, but in reality the newness of God always comes to us through the Spirit regardless of the season of the year. In the world of the new age, the real glory of Jesus will be manifested in the variety of the gifts of the Spirit given to the church.
Source: © Dianne Bergant CSA - https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/date/2025Jan19/0/RefDiBe