All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. — Psalm 98:3cd

Mass Readings: 1 John 2:22-28/John 1:19-28 

Preparing the Way 

Sometimes when I’m at Mass, I catch myself praying on automatic pilot and wonder if I’m really remembering Jesus in any of this. I can get so wrapped up in my own needs, my own worries, that I forget the One who promises to ease my burdens, if only I’d turn in His direction. 

Today’s readings put Jesus front and center. “No one who denies the Son has the Father,” we hear in the First Letter of John. When the Pharisees, in the Gospel, ask John the Baptist who he is, he warns that he is simply preparing the way for the One who is to come. Jesus was coming then. Jesus is coming again. We may not “deny” Jesus, but do we live each day as if we’re preparing for His arrival? 

Prayer: Dear Jesus, remain in my heart even when worries and confusion fill my head.