In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount
with a series of blessings, the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes
are a summary of the fundamental attitude of a Christian
steward. This speech sets the themes and tone for Christ’s
public ministry. He calls for a radical change in how we
respond to the human condition. Good stewards understand
that conversion is a lifelong process and trying to live the
Beatitudes is fundamental to this process. Make it a point
to reflect on this Gospel reading during the week. Identify
the blessing you relate to the most. Which one is the most
challenging for you?

In today’s gospel we hear Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James
and John to follow him. Following Jesus was a difficult
journey for these first disciples. It is difficult for us today.
Jesus wants to teach us his way of thinking, acting and
encountering the world. But it is not easy for us to embrace
his teaching. Good stewards of Jesus’ teachings realize
they are on a spiritual journey, and must learn from their
experiences of being open and resistant to the gospel. They
realize the need to be liberated from those actions that keep
them from enjoy¬ing a closer friendship with Jesus. What is
it in our lives that we need to reform? What keeps us from
revealing God’s glory to others?

We follow all sorts of people and organizations on social media. Friends.
Celebrities. A favorite author, athlete, charity, or business. At times, we
may think before following: do we want the additional postings or emails?
Typically, following a business or celebrity does not require much of a
commitment. We may or may not read every post that comes through
on our feed. We might respond, or we may not. Even when we do, our
response is often as simple as hitting the “like” button. Following Jesus is a
very different sort of thing.

To follow Jesus means to enter into a relationship with him and to
exercise good stewardship over that relationship. When Jesus asks us to
follow him, we know that doing so is to have an impact in our lives. As
with any friendship, if our relationship with Jesus is to grow, we will have to
spend time with and pay attention to him. At first, this might mean taking a
few moments at the beginning or end of each day for prayer.

We may be more attentive during Mass; we may pause in the midst of
our day’s activities to notice the beauty of creation, the blessing of family
and friends, the gift of kindness and patience shared among co-workers.
The best of friends also influence each other, for the better. Growing in
relationship with Jesus will change us, leading us to think of others as well
as ourselves, often putting the needs of others first. We learn to be mindful
of those who need to know God’s love through our actions, serving them,
sharing forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and faith.

Following Jesus is the work of a lifetime. At every step forward, one
is challenged to go further in accepting and loving God’s will. Being a
disciple is not just something else to do, alongside many other things
suitable for Christians; it is a total way of life and requires continuing
conversion (Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, p. 15).

How will you follow Jesus now and into the future? How will you
learn from and invite him to have an impact in your life? How will your
stewardship of this relationship impact the way you live?

As the prophet Isaiah proclaims in the first reading, the Lord
continues to remind us that we are his servants. Imagine the
Lord speaking these words to you personally: “You are my
servant. Through you I show my glory. I formed you as my
servant from your mother’s womb. I will make you a light so
that you may shine the light of my salvation everywhere you
go, and reveal my glory to everyone you encounter. I will
give you the strength to do this. I will give you confidence.
Heed my words, for I have spoken to you.” What would
your response be to the Lord? Would it be different from the
response you give the Lord now?

In today’s second reading we hear the teachings of Saint Paul
to the members of the Church at Ephesus. He proclaims that
he, and they, are stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and
therefore stewards of God’s loving, unifying and inclusive
grace. He also proclaims that the Holy Spirit is at work
within each of them, if only they would be open to the
Spirit. Today, our world races by with intolerance, violence,
desperate poverty, fear and division. At the beginning of this
New Year, perhaps it is appropriate to reflect on Saint Paul’s
words and ask ourselves how we can be good stewards of
the gospel today. How will we allow the Holy Spirit to work
within us? How can we be better stewards of Christ’s justice
and peace?

Saint Andre Bessette was born in 1845 in the village of Saint-Grẻgoire
d’Iberville, in what is now the Archdiocese of Montreal, Canada.
Baptized as Alfred, by the time he was 12 he had to work because
both of his parents had died.

At age 22 he moved to the United States, where he labored alternately in mills and on
farms in New England. He returned to Montreal where
he joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1870 with
the encouragement of Father André Provençal, who had
observed Alfred spending whole nights in prayer and sent
a note with Alfred that read, “I am sending you a saint.”
Alfred made his final vows in 1874 and was given
the religious name of André. For some forty years Brother
Andre served as janitor, porter, infirmarian, gardener,
baker of the altar bread and in other capacities at the
College of Our Lady of the Snows near Montreal. In
1905, at age 60, Brother Andre was transferred to
Montreal.

From his childhood Brother Andre had a strong
devotion to Saint Joseph and spent his life promoting
devotion to the foster-father of Jesus. He founded
and helped to build the Oratory of St. Joseph. The
popularity of the oratory grew as it became a place of
pilgrimage because of the many healings attributed to
the intercession of Brother André and Saint Joseph. It was
referred to as the “Lourdes of Canada,” and became one
of the most popular shrines in North America drawing
millions of pilgrims to Montreal.

Much attention centered on Brother André himself
because of the number of cures that were attributed to
him, so many, in fact, that he was called the “Miracle
Man of Montreal.” Brother Andre died on January 6,
1937, at age 91. Over a million mourners processed past
his casket. He was beatified by Saint John Paul II in 1982
and he was canonized a saint in 2010 by Pope Benedict
XVI. His feast is on January 6.