{"id":3139,"date":"2026-01-16T18:09:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T18:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/?p=3139"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:30:55","slug":"weekly-reflection-january-18-2026-3-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-january-18-2026-3-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 January 18, 2026 (3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Building Up the Kingdom<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You are God\u2019s delight. Yes, you. Isaiah speaks of how God has called you, and how, as a groom rejoices in his bride, He rejoices in you. Then, in the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that we have been given spiritual gifts that help us serve the people of God. While our gifts differ from one another, they are all manifestations of the same Spirit and are all needed.<\/p>\n

In the Gospel, we see Mary\u2019s gift of concern for hospitality and care for others. She urges Jesus to help, and while His reply to her is vague, she tells the waiters to \u201cdo whatever he tells you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are you ever timid or even afraid to do whatever Jesus tells you to do? Or maybe you make excuses. I do the latter\u2014especially when I am not fond of what I am being asked to do. For example, I have felt a pull to be more intentional about intercessory prayer. In theory, it is a great idea. I believe in the power of prayer. The people who need prayers are people I care about. But praying takes time, Lord, and you know how that is often in short supply.<\/p>\n

Based on my experience, I know prayer is important and necessary\u2014not only for those I am praying for, but for me. Still, I drag my feet and maybe whine a bit until I realize that saying no to Jesus is never a good plan.<\/p>\n

And why would any of us say \u201cno\u201d or ignore a request from a God who loves us? Each of us can reflect on that personally. I hope we all come to the conclusion that doing what He tells us to do will always bear abundant fruit. We are led to use the gifts we have been given for the glory of God and to build up the Kingdom. As baptized Catholics, that is our purpose.<\/p>\n

As you go through your day, ask Jesus to reveal to you the specific purpose He has for you right now. And then do it.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Deanna Bartalini<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflection provided by diocesan.com. Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Building Up the Kingdom You are God\u2019s delight. Yes, you. Isaiah speaks of how God has called you, and how, as a groom rejoices in his bride, He rejoices in you. Then, in the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that we have been given spiritual gifts that help us serve the people of God. While our gifts differ from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-reflections"],"yoast_head":"\nWeekly Reflection \u2013 January 18, 2026 (3) - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-january-18-2026-3-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weekly Reflection \u2013 January 18, 2026 (3) - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Building Up the Kingdom You are God\u2019s delight. 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