Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: Today, we finish our journey through the first week in Ordinary Time and our readings remind us of some fundamental faith issues: those of being called, responding to that call and being anointed. 
 
In our first reading today a selection from the First Book of Samuel, anointing is at the forefront of our message and, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus calls Levi to be his disciple and the call initiates an immediate response from the tax collector.  These three faith issues sit at the heart of the Sacrament of Baptism ritual.
 
Becoming one with Christ and with the community of faith is the most fundamental aspect of our life as a Christian person.  Baptism provides us the opportunity to respond to God’s call to growth in faith, hope and love.
 
In the Old Testament. priests, prophets and kings were typically anointed with oil.   Also in many of our sacraments but especially, baptism the one receiving the sacrament is anointed with oil.  The anointing in Baptism provides us with the opportunity to reflect on our call as priest, prophet and king through the meaning of Christ’s own anointing as a mediator between us and God (priest), as the one who speaks the word of God (prophet) and the one who so very gently rules (serves) in our lives (king).
 
Thus, the invitation, the call of Christ and of God, is given to live out the priestly life by being Christ to those we meet on our path of life; to live a prophetic life by living and speaking the word of God to others; and finally living our kingly lives by following Christ who “ruled”, not by “lording it over” other but by serving them.
 
These are enormous tasks and the truth is that we do not accomplish them by ourselves.  Christ, “priest, prophet and king”, is the ideal and our call like Levi’s in the Gospel today: “follow me,” is just the beginning of a life lived with and for others modeled on Jesus’ own life.
 
Perhaps our readings today are calling us to renew the commitment we made at Baptism to follow Christ as priest, prophet and king but serving and caring for others in our world today.
 
Have a great Saturday everyone!