Jesus continues to say to each of us: "Come after Me." If we are committed Christians, we tend to think we've already done that. Nevertheless, to come after Jesus can mean a new experience each day, as we enter into the mystery of God's love.
Hundreds of millions of Christians do not realize that coming to Jesus means following the Church, her bishops, and her Pope. Some Christians try to follow Jesus without trying to know the Bible. Hundreds of millions of Christians don't realize that to come after Jesus means to come to Holy Communion as often as possible and to center their lives on the Eucharist. Some Christians even continue a crossless Christianity or an isolated Christianity without community life.
When Jesus says: "Come after Me," He means so much that we can spend a lifetime beginning to grasp the countless ramifications of coming to the crucified and risen God-Man.
Filled with the Holy Spirit of Christmas, on this first day of "ordinary time," let us come after Jesus.
| PRAYER: | Father, I will come and adore Him, Christ the Lord. |
| PROMISE: | "How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord." –Ps 116:12-13 |
| PRAISE: | When caring for her infirm husband, Lynn came to realize that when she served her husband, she served Jesus. She delights in ministering to both. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College