Reflections from the Heart – January 23, 2022

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.” Do you ever wonder why you are here and say to yourself, there has to be more to life than this? These philosophical questions personally began a collision course between God’s divine and providential plan and my limited and sad understanding of God, his love, his call, his will. The questions tore open a spiritual doorway into my heart that pushed me into the world of spiritual discernment and the desire to serve. The gateway that opened that day, although neglected or ignored at times, could never be closed. God would never stop knocking until the call was answered and the heart was satisfied. These somewhat harmless but most profound and prophetic questions echo in the hearts of so many hungry souls and weary spirits who thirst and seek to respond to the possibility of entering into a deeper and more spiritual relationship with God by sharing in the mission and ministry of Christ. The mission and ministry of Christ seeks to bring about the happiness of individuals through the teaching of the Law and the preaching of the Gospel as well as the healing of hearts that are broken, the healing of the spirits that are wounded, the healing of the bodies that are aching, the healing of the souls that are hurting and the healing of the minds that have been tainted by sin. Jesus taught the Son of Man would be mocked and rejected, persecuted and slapped, chained and scourged, crucified and killed but would rise on the third day in order to bring out the salvation of souls and the restoration of fallen humanity. We can help by sharing the truth that Jesus preached: the Kingdom of God was at hand and that love and compassion, peace and joy, mercy and forgiveness would rule and reign forever. We can help by helping others to welcome God’s Kingdom into their hearts and homes. Jesus went from town to town casting out sin and Satan, healing division and illness and restoring people to good health and a loving relationship with God.  We can help by allowing Jesus to heal us and by sharing in the awesome mission and ministry of Christ.  It will certainly bring about your own happiness and you will understand why you are here and come to realize there’s nothing more rewarding than assisting Jesus bring about your salvation and that of the whole world.