Ordinary Time 
Pause
Things can get better, things must get better, and things will get better.
In the craziness and uncertainties of the world around us, we have this hope that things are not how they will always be. It is an active hope — a hope that recognizes that we have a part to play.
Christ is empowering us to make a difference. Yes, even you.
Listen
A man with a skin disease approached Jesus, fell to his knees, and begged, “If you want, you can make me clean.”
Incensed, Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do want to. Be clean.”
Mark 1:40-41
Think
During the civil war in Liberia, one of the ways we survived was by knowing where we could go to get the help we needed. Different relief organizations provided different kinds of help. Some provided food, some provide clothing and some provide health care. The trick was figuring out where to go for a particular need. All you had to do was ask for help.
When the desire to make a difference burns inside of us, we must ask God for help. We ask God to empower us to do what we can. It is in the asking that we acknowledge that hope comes from God, who works through us. The world needs to know that things can be better. We are the messengers and agents of this hope. God is the source.
James Blay
Pray
God of hope, let me know that you are the source of hope. May I be willing to ask you for guidance and strength to do my part. Amen.
Go
With hope as your guide, guiding your thoughts, words, and deeds, go out into the world and bring hope to all whom you encounter.
