Today’s the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Find the Mass Readings here: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 14, 2018

My takeaway:

I had three Mass Takeaways this week! Be sure to check them all out.

 

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#MyMassTakeaway: Here I am. . Yesterday my confessor gave me this amazing pep talk about my vocation. He told me to try to avoid seeing it as a burden. But instead to embrace it as a call. . God needs me in the world. He needs who I am and what I do. He has a special plan for me. A role that only I can fill. Wife to my husband, mother to my children. . And even when it doesn't feel like it, answering God's call to be a holy, virtuous, kick-butt wife and mom is making a difference in the world. The world needs me. It needs my vocation. It needs who I am. . So I'm going to rise like Samuel in the middle of the night. I'm going to respond God's call when I hear it in my heart. "Here I am Lord, Your servant is listening." I'm going to let His do great things in me and through me. . I'm going to answer His call and change the world.

A post shared by To Jesus Sincerely (@tojesussincerely) on Jan 14, 2018 at 8:27am PST

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts from my blogging friends:

 

 

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The most frequent criticism I hear of the Church is that it needs to get with the times– that it's out of touch. The second reading from Corinthians (1 Cor. 6:16-15, 17-20 if you missed it) makes me chuckle at statements like that. . St. Paul was writing to a culture that worshiped the goddess Aphrodite, and had no sense of sexual shame or sin. The culture today may not have temples to a pagan god, but without a doubt, sexuality and pleasure are the focus of our modern idolatry. . The reading reminds us that our bodies are not our own to do with as we please. They have "been purchased at a price" and given to us as gifts to do God's Work. . Christ's Incarnation elevated the dignity of the human body. This is why the Church has such reverence and respect for the body, even in death. . The Church isn't out of touch with the culture. The Church is the antidote to the lies of the culture. The challenges of our modern time are nothing new, God gave us a remedy long ago. . "So glorify God in your body!" . #mymasstakeaway with @tojesussincerely

A post shared by Hilary- Messy Buns&Latin Chant (@hillyanne_t) on Jan 14, 2018 at 8:55am PST

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“You weren’t made to fit in. You were born to stand out!” . . . The above quote by Jim Caviezel came to me during today’s readings – as we heard about God calling Samuel from a slumber, our bodies being members of Christ’s Body, and the followers of Christ finding Him. . . . Being a disciple of Christ is never easy, and as our chaplain pointed out, we are on a mission of sainthood. Sainthood does not require perfection. It requires us acknowledging when we have stumbled and fallen, and instead of staying down, sainthood challenges us to rise, dust ourselves off, and seek to do better. . . . As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is quoted as saying, “The world promises us comfort, but we were not made for comfort. We were made for greatness.” . . . Let us all work toward leaving the trappings of comfort this world promises us, and instead look with confidence in knowing we are made for greatness – if we choose to accept the challenge! We are made to be sons and daughters of a most radiant King. We will stand out, simply by our devotion to standing up when we falter, seeking forgiveness for our trespasses, and moving forward with faith in our Savior. . . . #mymasstakeaway w/ @tojesussincerely #mysundaybest w/ @rosiehill425 #inspiration #catholicblogger #catholicsofinstagram #inspirationalquotes #jimcaviezel #popeemeritusbenedictxvi #popeemeritus #catholicmom #catholicwife #proudcatholic #faith #christianblogger

A post shared by Anni Harry (@beautifulcamouflagedmess) on Jan 14, 2018 at 9:06am PST

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Went to mass this morning for the first time since baby (by myself!) and it was lovely, but I have just been overwhelmed lately with this sense of not doing enough, not being enough, not parenting well enough, not living out my marriage well enough, etc, etc. But by God's grace, firstly, I am able to recognize that it's true. "I" am not enough, but Jesus is. I don't have to be enough. My laundry pile may be growing by leaps and bounds. My dirty dishes may be all over the counter. But I am not defined by what I do. I am defined by my belonging to Him. I am covered in His righteousness, bought with the precious price of His love. And secondly, as I read in #33daystomercifullove this morning, St. Teresa of Calcutta said "Jesus does not demand great actions from us, but simply surrender and gratitude". Maybe my pride would be helped if I accomplished however much I thought was "enough". But that's about it. What really matters is how much I love my children, how much I love my husband, and how well I surrender to God's will for this present moment and thank Him for all the gifts He has already given me. And that's what I have to remind myself today. #gratitude #surrender #love #mymasstakeaway

A post shared by Kara Watza (@sacredstair) on Jan 14, 2018 at 9:32am PST

 

 

 

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The idea made perfect sense in his head, so of course it should have worked. But play doh abides by the laws of physics, and so, of course, there was a tantrum. "What do you want it to do, buddy?" I already knew the answer but I asked him anyway, hoping the sound of my voice would calm him, show him somebody was listening to him with love. It's the same thing, I think, when God asks us a question. "What are you looking for?" He already knows. But He asks because when we are raging and searching we might hear Him in the space between, hear the quiet response to our own desperate question: "Where in the world are you, God?" He is there, always, holding us as we would an angry toddler, whispering words of comfort: "Come and see." #mysunddaybest toddler tantrum edition #mymasstakeaway from the living room floor

A post shared by Ginny Kochis •Not So Formulaic (@ginnykochis) on Jan 14, 2018 at 9:37am PST

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Here I am, Lord. Three years ago these readings fell the Sunday before Siena’s birthday, this year they fell on her birthday. That also meant singing ‘Here I am Lord’, which her godmother and I chose for her funeral. In many ways it became my theme for these years in between- whatever God wants. We want to be at His service. #mymasstakeaway

A post shared by Heidi Indahl (@workandplaydaybyday) on Jan 14, 2018 at 9:49am PST

 

 

 

 

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"Do not conform yourself to the age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2) . I had to go back and read that whole chapter of Romans after Mass, it's just so good and convicting. My Instagram doesn't need to be a perfectly curated feed with white walls and eucalyptus accents, my children don't need to be dressed in perfectly coordinating outfits, my front porch doesn't need to be decorated perfectly for every season. There are people who are gifted in those areas, but that's not my gift and that's okay! . Just as I counsel my children that their gifts are different, so I also need that reminder for myself sometimes! If you see someone with a gift that gives you that little tug of jealousy, work on training yourself to automatically offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for that gift, and thanksgiving for your own gifts. What a boring world we would live in if all our gifts were the same! . #mysundaybest #mymasstakeaway

A post shared by Rosie Hill (@rosiehill425) on Jan 14, 2018 at 11:50am PST

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Today was rough. A ponytail kind of day. Sickness at home, exhaustion in me, and all the Church commitments. I almost fell asleep in the brief moments before Mass began. But then I was awakened by the Liturgy of the Word. God calls us all the time. Am I listening? If I hear, do I respond? On days like today, I'm totally tempted to shirk away from the call. "Not today, God." Our visiting priest spoke about those calls in life that change our course forever. What if today's call is that call, but I'm ignoring it because life is not the smooth I'm wanting at the moment? Be present, y'all. Be intentional. Be open to the call of God and don't be afraid to listen. Even on the ponytail kind of days. #MyMassTakeaway #HereIAmLord #PonytailDay

A post shared by HailMarry (@hailmarryblog) on Jan 14, 2018 at 11:56am PST

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Today is the middle of my weekend. Hubby is off tomorrow. Our long weekend was not what we had planned. Sickness and house fails seemed to overtake our relaxing weekend. In Mass Father spoke on passing moments of thought. Are those moments callings that I just pushed aside? That really made me sit back and think of all those missed opportunities. Then he said that most callings aren't a huge sign; rather, they are from others, like encouragement to go to that Bible study, go visit a sick friend, or write your grandma. That's really amazing. Am I encouraging and supporting others in their callings? I don't know, but I do know that I am going to be more aware, more encouraging, and more intentional on listening. BTW @everysacredsunday have their journals stocked up. They are worth every penny. #mymasstakeaway #everysacredsunday

A post shared by HailMarry (@hailmarryblog) on Jan 14, 2018 at 11:59am PST

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"The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body…Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…Therefore glorify God in your body." . . . Anyone else struck by how often the body came up in today's readings in Mass? And that answering God's call often is so physical? Simon ran, rose, and got up. John was standing, Jesus was walking, and the disciples followed. Beautiful movement in every passage. . . . So whether you're running, walking, hiking, biking, swimming, hugging…WHATEVER it is…make sure you're doing something every day to glorify our God! . . . P.S. Check out what our co-founder @charlotte.c.m has learned from the Advent challenge so far. Then sign up for the Lent challenge! Sign-ups are now open! #linkinbio

A post shared by Catholic Women Run (@catholicwomenrun) on Jan 14, 2018 at 3:02pm PST

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"He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.'" This morning at Mass, the thing that struck me most about the Gospel, and the point taught by my pastor, was that of invitation. That these men first responded to John the Baptist, then met followed Jesus, and after meeting Him, invited others to know Him too. John brought Andrew, Andrew brought Peter, and we are called to be invitational and open just as they were. But now, reading the Gospel again tonight, I see and remember that the invitation always first comes from the voice of Christ. "Come, and you will see." May we see Him, may we know Him, and may we share Him with others. . . . #JMJ #sundayreadingsscripturedoodle #biblejournaling #mymasstakeaway #john1 #comeandsee #catholicwomen #bissisterhood

A post shared by Katie Bogner (@katherine.bogner) on Jan 14, 2018 at 8:36pm PST

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Sunday's gospel reading and homily were so good! Our Fr. Paul's passionate homily was inspiring and so insightful: The gospel of John contains some of the most important statements of Jesus and today's reading from John 1:35-42 has the most profound statements ever spoken – when asked "Teacher, where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see" Such a simple phrase, think about it: it's an invitation to enter the life of Jesus.  Such an important piece: we need the GOING and we need the SEEING. Sometimes though, the two get separated in our lives,  we go without seeing or we see without going – we do the actions without the faith or we believe without the actions. He invites all of us to come and see. Let's take him up on the offer. As we truly come into contact with Him, you cannot live as before again. Wherever we are with the Lord right now, we have to pray: Jesus, show me where you are,  where you are going. Help me know you in a way I can understand it. Ask him to be with you in a real way. Andrew saw, met the Lord and he went and told his brother Simon (Peter): come and see! He met Jesus and had to share it with his brother – what would have happened if he wouldn't have done that! To me though, 'Come and you will see' also sounds like a promise, doesn't it? Just follow Him and all will be revealed! +++ #MyMasstakeaway #thewordofgod #drawclosertogod #lovegod #godinspired #openjourney #religiousart #christianart #catholicartist #faith #faithjournal #art #ingridblixt #TB2G #homily #sermon #bible #gospel #john1 #comeandyouwillsee #biblejournaling

A post shared by Ingrid Blixt (@ingridblixt) on Jan 15, 2018 at 8:58pm PST

 

 

Your turn:

I want to know your Mass Takeaway too! Comment with your thoughts on the readings, your pastor’s homily, or anything that struck you during your time at Mass.