Do you incorporate God's word into daily life?

To know Christ is to know God.

Christ is the homily

that keeps explaining to us continually

that God is love,

that God is power,

that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus Christ,

that he is the divine Word,

God’s presence among us.

I remember a time in my life when the Gospel was just another reading at Mass. There was no difference between it and the other readings presented every week. But, at some point in my formation journey, I came to understand that the Gospel was about Christ and his life, his message, and his presence today. That was a life-changing moment for me. The Gospel came to be “What is God trying to tell me about God?” It wasn’t about me, who I am, what I am supposed to do or be. The Gospel was about God … the God of love who is present among us.

In the readings this week, God tells us about God’s authority.

In Deuteronomy 18:15-20, “And the Lord said to me … I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.”

In the Gospel, “Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

For Saint Paul, the “good news” was the living presence of God. He tells us in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 that our daily routines can distract us from hearing and obeying those teachings. We, then, must be aware of this, turn our focus to God’s word, and find a way to prioritize God’s message into our daily lives.

Saint Oscar Romero continues…

You must feel, though it be in silence,

without anyone’s speaking,

with deep faith in your heart,

that Christ is God’s homily preaching to you

while you try to fill yourself with the divine power

that has come in Christ Jesus.

Reflect this week on the time you give to God’s word.

What distracts you from giving time for prayer?

How open are you to hearing God’s word and incorporating the message into your daily life?

Do you try to “fill yourself with the divine power that has come in Jesus Christ?”

Tucson faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.