Daily Retreat 02/05/06

2006 Feb 5 SUN: FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Jb 7: 1-4. 6-7/ Ps 146(147): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ 1 Cor 9: 16-19. 22-23/ Mk 1: 29-39

From today’s readings: "I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.... Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.... Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!... Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed. "

First Things First

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Clearly, whatever is first enjoys, in some sense, the highest priority, and is therefore most likely to actually get done. For most of us, there’s some ritual of cleaning ourselves up in the morning, and making ourselves presentable. But some start by turning on the radio to learn what’s happening in the world, or reading the newspaper. Others get the coffee going first thing, because they’re just no good without their morning cup of coffee. There are even those who begin their day with the somewhat illogical routine of turning off the alarm clock and simply going back to sleep!

But what did Jesus do first thing in the morning? He prayed! He did what you and I and all people can do and should do first thing in the morning; He showed clearly what His priority was, and what ours should be; before anything else, He first did the most important thing He had to do - He prayed!

How wonderful it is to let our first words of every day be sincere words of a simple prayer: "Good Morning, God!" or "Praise to You, my God!" or "Thank you, Lord, for the gift of this new day!" No matter how sleepy we are, no matter how busy the new day is going to be for us, there’s no reason we can’t begin in the morning with such a heartfelt greeting to God.

But remember, prayer is not just talking to God, it’s also listening to Him! So, we need to take a moment in the morning to glance at the crucifix on our bedroom wall, and listen to how that sacramental reminds us that God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone believing in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life! When someone needs our help in the morning, we need to hear in that cry for assistance the voice of Jesus saying, "Whatsoever you do to the least of My brothers, that you do unto Me!" When we take a few minutes to read the daily Bible verses, we can clearly hear God speaking to us through the scriptures that remind us what our day is all about, "All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it!"

The first thing Jesus did in the morning was to pray. Those who follow Jesus strive to be like Him and do what He did, so, from now on, what’s the first thing you’re going to do in the morning?