Study: Recall a time when you received really good news.  How did it affect your life?

Pray: Reflect on the blessings of your life – perhaps even make a list – and take a moment in your prayer to thank the Lord.

Serve: It’s easy to take our blessings for granted; look for a way to help someone in your life recognize the gifts they have been given.

Mass Readings – 13th Sunday of the Year

There is a lot of Good News in the readings this week:

• 1st Reading – Elisha offers hope to an aging couple
• Psalm – “For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.”
• 2nd Reading – Paul reminds us that we have died and risen with Christ
• Gospel – Christ invites us to put Him first in our lives

As much as the world might try at times to make us think that bad news sells, deep in our hearts we long to hear Good News – words that inspire, give us hope, and energize our lives.

Good News reminds us that the Lord has a plan for our lives and invites us to trust as we make Jesus Christ the center of what we say and do.  Good News is not “pie-in-the-sky” that says just hang on long enough as you’ll get your reward; rather, we keep going because every day (good or bad) has unique lessons that can draw us closer to God and one another.  Good News proclaims that not only is there something fantastic at the end of the journey, but that the Lord himself will accompany us every step of the way.

Where do you see Good News in your life right now?  Where have you recognized Jesus Christ at work in your life?  Take a moment to thank the Lord for the blessings you have and help others to see the ways that they have been touched by God’s grace.  In other words: proclaim the Good News!

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Note: This post was first published on June 26, 2017.