There is Something About Mary Series – Sacred Priorities

Ponder:  How well do your priorities reflect the prompting of the Holy Spirit?

Pause for a few moments of silence, recite the prayers as indicated in rosary chart below if you wish to prepare for today’s mystery.  You might offer a prayer request for each decade or a Hail Mary for a specific person. 

Pray:  The First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of the Lord.

Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River.  Fruit of the mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit.

The First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of Jesus. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son,^* with whom I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:13-17).

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, who was baptized by John. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Pray for us Mary, star of the New Evangelization, that we may be radically faithful to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.     

Amen

Reflect:   John felt unworthy even to untie Jesus’ sandals, but Jesus stood in line with sinners and presented himself to John to be baptized. For John, only Christ’s message mattered, not the worlds standards.  People were attracted to John, despite his appearance, because of his radical fidelity to God.  When we are open to the Holy Spirit, He will shine through us and draw others to Himself because of our radical fidelity to Him and His Church.  How well do our priorities reflect our radical fidelity to God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit? Are there people, places, or things that we are more concerned about than our relationship with Him?  As Jesus stood in the water, the heavens opened and God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The baptism of Jesus is on his part, the humble acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering servant (CCC 536).  Are we open to our mission from God? Do we humbly accept it, or do we insist on our way?

Act:   I will make sure that my daily priorities reflect my mission from God to love.