I have heard some BCBP brothers and sisters complain that their Action Group meetings, Assemblies and Teachings are no longer upbuilding, nourishing, nor inspiring. While thinking and praying about this concern, a question came into my mind: do you prepare yourself to encounter the LORD, to listen to Him, and to be used by Him in making your Action Group meetings and Assemblies nourishing, inspiring and upbuilding? It reminded me of the need to prepare ourselves- heart, mind, body and spirit, to see the Lord, to hear the Lord, to be used by the Lord, to be fruitful instruments of the Lord in all of our activities. We need to pray for our activities and for everyone involved in these activities.

If God prepared for the coming of the Messiah by choosing and preparing Mary long before the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus always took time to prepare himself for the day’s activities by spending time alone with the Father, shouldn’t we also take time to prepare ourselves for each day’s activities? Even the Catholic Church acknowledges the importance of preparing ourselves such that we have the Advent Season to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christmas, and the Lenten Season to prepare ourselves for the commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you prepare yourself to celebrate mass worthily? I remember one priest asking this question during his homily and then telling everyone: if you celebrate mass worthily, you will be transformed, just as the bread and wine are transformed.

Similarly, if we prepare ourselves to encounter God in His Word and in all the people, places and events that He brings our way each day, we will encounter Christ and we will be nourished, inspired and transformed. What a difference it would make in our families, in our BCBP Community, in our work areas and in our Country, if we took time to prepare ourselves to encounter Christ in all of our activities!

Take time, make time to prepare yourself each day. Your time alone with the Lord could make the difference between remaining faithful to the Lord or falling into the temptations of each day, between an orderly and fruitful day or a chaotic and disastrous day.