Tomorrow’s feast of the Baptism of Jesus brings us to the end of the Christmas season. So it is good today to recall the graces and gifts that have come to each of us (and those whose lives we have touched) since the beginning of Advent on Nov. 30. How have I welcomed the Lord this Christmas season? In what ways has God stretched and challenged me over these weeks? Where do I find myself now in relationship with my own person, with family and friends and co-workers, and especially with our God? Which Christmas “gifts” do I particularly treasure this year?
These early days of 2015 you and I don’t have a precise roadmap with exact signposts for the year ahead. Thus today’s first reading is helpful: “We have this confidence in God that, if we ask anything according to his will, God will hear us.”
What do I ask of the Lord today, especially in preparation for renewing my promises of baptism tomorrow? Do I have confidence that our God, who has given me so much talent and time and opportunity, will indeed walk with me in holiness and in hope?
—The Jesuit Prayer Team