This week's readings Week of Jan. 20 - 26 Sunday, January 20, 2002 Reading I: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 Reading II: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 Gospel: John 1:29-34 Monday, January 21, 2002 Reading I: 1 Sm 15, 16-23 Gospel: Mk 2, 18-22 Tuesday, January 22, 2002 Reading I: 1 Sm 16, 1-13 Gospel: Mk 2, 23-28 Wednesday, January 23, 2002 Reading I: 1 Sm 17, 32-33. 37. 40-51 Gospel: Mk 3, 1-6 Thursday, January 24, 2002 Reading I: 1 Sm 18, 6-9; 19, 1-7 Gospel: Mk 3, 7-12 Friday, January 25, 2002 Reading I: Acts 22, 3-16 Gospel: Mk 16, 15-18 Saturday, January 26, 2002 Reading I: 2 Tm 1, 1-8 Gospel: Mk 3, 20-21 Pope's Prayer Intentions January General Intention A strengthening of united Christian efforts to announce Jesus Christ: That Christians may work better and harder together to announce Jesus Christ, the world's only Savior. January Mission Intention Renewed commitment to evangelize in every aspect of work and life: That the local churches may learn to use every aspect of work and life to bring the gospel to others. Prayer for vocations This is Pope John Paul II's prayer for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to be observed April 21, 2002 Holy Father, look upon this humanity of ours, that is taking its first steps along the path of the Third Millennium. Its life is still deeply marked by hatred, violence and oppression, but the thirst for justice, truth and grace still finds a space in the hearts of many people, who are waiting for someone to bring salvation, enacted by You through Your Son Jesus. There is the need for courageous heralds of the Gospel, for generous servants of suffering humanity. Send holy priests to Your Church, we pray, who may sanctify Your people with the tools of Your grace. Send numerous consecrated men and women, that they may show Your holiness in the midst of the world. Send holy labourers into Your vineyard, that they may labour with the fervour of charity and, moved by Your Holy Spirit, may bring the salvation of Christ to the farthest ends of the Earth. Amen.

Called to be:

Disciples of the Son

		Word of God  Word of Life  Fr. John G. Stillmank

Have you ever been asked to answer the question "What do you do for a living?"

Of course you have! It's a simple question we often use when we are meeting someone for the first time and getting to know them. Just like "What is your name?" and "Where are you from?", the question about another's job or career helps us to learn about them.

Readings for 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Jan. 20) Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 Psalm 40 1Corinthians 1:1-3 John 1:29-34

Most often we are seeking a simple answer: the kind of job ("engineer" or "nurse") or where one works (the name of the company). Sometimes we are interested in more detailed specifics (i.e., designing cell phones or working with newborns).

Sometimes we ask someone we know for details about another person we won't know: "Psst! What does he do?"

Such information tells us something about the person, about the things they are interested in, about how they might relate to other people. But not always. Sometimes what a person does for a living fits them like a glove. Other times not.

What would Jesus say if we asked him "What do you do for a living?" What would others say about Jesus if we said, "Psst! What does he do?"

"What do we do? Do we testify, like John, that Jesus is the Son of God? We should. Do we answer the call to be holy that Paul talks about? Yes, that is our vocation."

Isaiah the Prophet would say of Jesus that he is God's servant, formed from the womb to gather Israel to the Lord. He is a light to the nations, that the salvation of the Lord may reach the ends of the earth.

The author of the psalms would recognize Jesus as the one who comes to do God's will, who says aloud "Here I am, Lord!"

Saint Paul would say Jesus is the one who calls others to be holy, to bring the Father's grace and peace to those who believe in him. Jesus is the one who calls apostles, prophets, teachers, disciples, witnesses, and others to hear the Gospel and bring it to others.

John the Baptist says it plainly: there is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world . . . He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit . . . He is the Son of God."

The same question can be asked of us in relation to our life as disciples of the Lord Jesus: "Psst! What do they do?"

What do we do? Do we testify, like John, that Jesus is the Son of God?

We should. Do we answer the call to be holy that Paul talks about? Yes, that is our vocation.

Do we answer loudly "Here I am, Lord" when Jesus calls us to be his followers, to serve the need of the Church? Yes, loudly! not with a whisper. Do we show ourselves to be God's servants, formed in the womb by his love and letting ourselves be a light like Jesus to all those in need? Yes, for that is what disciples of Jesus do.

We are called to be disciples of the Son. What we do for a living -- our job -- is one thing. What we do for life, the life that Christ won for us on the cross and offers us through the gifts of his Church and the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, is quite another. Yet they are not exclusive.

Each of us, in the way we earn our bread and the work we do in the world, is called to be a disciple, a witness, to Christ in all we do.

Engineers and nurses, priests and consecrated persons, laborers and all who work -- each can answer the question "What do you do for a living?" with mere information or with sound conviction.

Hard work and and faithful, honest witness to Christ go hand in hand to give God glory and to show others the dignity that Jesus has given to all whom God has formed from the womb to one day live with him forever.

Fr. John G. Stillmank is Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Madison and pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Verona, and St. William Parish, Paoli.