| Answer the Call |
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I feel the Lord is calling me. I feel urged, even when I don't want to think about it.
--Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu |
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St. Egwin
(d. 717)
 Born of royal blood in the 7th century, Egwin entered a monastery and was enthusiastically received by royalty, clergy and the people as the bishop of Worcester, England. As a bishop he was known as a protector of orphans and the widowed and a fair judge. Who could argue with that?
His popularity didn't hold up among members of the clergy, however. They saw him as overly strict, while he felt he was simply trying to correct abuses and impose appropriate disciplines. Bitter resentments arose, and Egwin made his way to Rome to present his case to Pope Constantine. The case against Egwin was examined and annulled.
Upon his return to England, he founded Evesham Abbey, which became one of the great Benedictine houses of medieval England. It was dedicated to Mary, who had reportedly made it known to Egwin just where a church should be built in her honor.
He died at the abbey on December 30, in the year 717. Following his burial many miracles were attributed to him: The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the sick were healed.
Daily Prayer - 2015-12-30
Presence
Lord, help me to be fully alive to your holy presence.
Enfold me in your love.
Let my heart become one with yours.
Freedom
Your death on the cross has set me free.
I can live joyously and freely
without fear of death.
Your mercy knows no bounds.
Consciousness
In the presence of my loving Creator,
I look honestly at my feelings over the last day,
the highs, the lows and the level ground.
Can I see where the Lord has been present?
The Word of God
I am writing to you, children,
because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the Evil One.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,
and you have conquered the Evil One.
Do not love the world or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world,
sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,
is not from the Father but is from the world.
Yet the world and its enticement are passing
away.
But whoever does the will of God remains forever.
R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts;
worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
- - -
Some thoughts on today's scripture
- The life of Anna was hidden away in the temple. The life of Jesus as he grew from childhood to manhood was hidden for thirty years in an obscure village. In this hidden time, Jesus grows. He becomes strong, filled with wisdom and God's favour.
- Lord, let me value the hidden quality of prayer. "What each one is interiorly unknown to anyone else is of vital consequence to all." Let me never doubt the value of 'wasting time' hidden with you before the Father.
Conversation
Sometimes I wonder what I might say if I were to meet you in person Lord.
I think I might say "Thank You Lord" for always being there for me.
I know with certainty there were times when you carried me, Lord.
When it was through your strength I got through the dark times in my life.
Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
6th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
Do not love the world or the things of the world. (1 John 2:15)
How magical life feels during this week between Christmas and New Year's Day! As far as the Church is concerned, we are still in the Octave of Christmas. And as far as the world is concerned, the holiday season is still in full swing. Candles still give off their warm glow. Christmas trees remain in many homes. Families are spending more time together, and children are still basking in the mirth of the season.
So why, in the midst of all these good feelings, is John warning us not to love the world? Why caution us against "sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life" (1 John 2:16)? Does he like being a killjoy?
Not at all. Just a few verses before these warnings, John gives a litany of all the blessings that are ours because of Christmas: Our sins are forgiven. We can know "him who is from the beginning." We can even know victory over the evil one (1 John 2:12-14). Surely there is much to rejoice over!
John gives us this warning because he knows how tricky life in the world can be. He knows that the Christian life is a matter of ongoing change and transformation. None of us really "arrives" at perfect holiness. It's a journey filled with joy and fear, an adventure that has its triumphs and defeats.
Brothers and sisters, God has so much that he wants to give us. And the devil has so much that he wants to tempt us with. So no matter how far we've come, there is always more awaiting us: more grace and love from the throne of God. Greater transformation into the image of Christ. More healing of our past and more hope for our future. And there will never be an end to the obstacles, the challenges, and the temptation to rest on our laurels and stop seeking after the Lord.
So as the Octave of Christmas winds down, take time to rejoice in the marvelous gifts God has given you. But begin also to make a plan for growth in the coming year. And always remember: Jesus is with you no matter what!
"Lord, protect me from the snares of this world. Today, help me remember who you are and all that you have done in me. Jesus, I want to know you even more!"
Psalm 96:7-10
Luke 2:36-40
http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HGvhfvck
my2cents:
In waiting room for wife's sonogram and tests, I share reflections with you:
The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager (c) 2015, whose website is located at www.dailyscripture.net
Meditation: What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness. Hope grows with prayer and perseverance. Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his promises. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she was found daily in the house of the Lord, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about the Lord's promise to send a redeemer. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age.
Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope placed rightly. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age! She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people.
How do we grow in hope? By placing our trust in the promises of Jesus Christ and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace and help of the Holy Spirit. Does your hope and fervor for God grow with age?
"Lord Jesus, may I never cease to hope in you and to trust in your promises. Inflame my zeal for your kingdom and increase my love for prayer, that I may never cease to give you praise and worship".
The following reflection is courtesy of Presentation Ministries (c) 2015. Their website is located at presentationministries.com
Please read:
WORLD WAR WON
"If anyone loves the world, the Father's love has no place in him." —1 John 2:15
Most of us believe that love for the world could detract people from receiving God the Father's love. In contrast, the Lord maintains that love for the world will totally displace the Father's love from our lives. Therefore, we must have no love for the world (1 Jn 2:15), make no provisions for the desires of the flesh (Rm 13:14), and crucify the "flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:24). Love for the world is like cancer. Even a little bit of it kills.
The Lord has been extremely clear about our relationship with the world. He chose us out of the world (Jn 15:19), and the world hates us (Jn 15:18; 17:14). Nevertheless, we can choose to be the world's friends and thereby become God's enemies (Jas 4:4; Phil 3:18-19).
As clear as the Lord is about our relationship with the world, many Christians have never gotten the message. Therefore, the Lord has sent as messengers Christians who, like little children, depend on God the Father (see 1 Jn 2:12, 14). These "little ones" are graced by the Holy Spirit to convict us of our worldliness (see Jn 16:8). Fathers especially are anointed to communicate the message of God the Father's all-sufficient love (1 Jn 2:13, 14). In our Father's love, we have everything. We don't need "the world with its seductions" (1 Jn 2:17). Finally, the Lord has chosen young men (1 Jn 2:13, 14) like Paul, Anthony, Benedict, Francis, Dominic, and others to rebel against the world. The message of these young men rocks the world. Because of them, many crucify themselves to the world and live in the Father's love (Gal 6:14).
Prayer: Father, this Christmas free me from the world. Promise: "She was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer. Coming on the scene at this moment, she gave thanks to God and talked about the Child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem." —Lk 2:37-38 Praise: James sought Jesus in silence, heard the call to monastic life, and accepted his new vocation.
Ours is a life to explore the possibilities of just how much to grow in love with God. Anna grew in age and hope. I thank our Lord for this opportunity. Find out what is holding you from a better love. Then pray for strength to move past this hurdle. Then, move. Move forward. Courage happens moment by moment. At the safety meeting this morning, I asked all how we could've avoided an accident earlier this year when one of our drivers got struck by an oncoming vehicle turning in front of us. And notice, I say 'we' but it was only him driving alone. I said we are all one and what you do alone affects the rest...the same with sin. It seemed it was unavoidable, but I kept asking how it could've been avoided. I asked the driver to say what happened and he said something that I called out "the other driver seemed to have hesitated" before taking the risk
of almost killing someone. I said we can look ahead in anticipation of what could happen. Analyze, search, and don't get distracted. What was funny is that the guys in various accidents didn't really want to accept their end of the fault. We want to protect our "reputation" and in doing so the other party must be fully blamed. I'm talking about our sin. We don't want to accept we are sinful. I say this repeatedly because the lines to the confessionals are practically nonexistent and priests do not make it readily available, that what is healing and reconciliation for us all. A sign of intelligence is to be able to recognize signs and patterns -notice what is transpiring and has transpired for centuries. If I SAT here and recalled everyone's weaknesses including mine what purpose would that serve? It should serve as a sign. Because the word of the Lord is
insistent an incessant. And not only that it is good and it is saving. Much of what I have learned has been from experiences of self and others.
How can I apply the word of the Lord to my life this very day? It said today that the child grew strong and in wisdom and in God's grace. If we are to be Christ followers then rightly so we too shall be a child of God to grow strong in wisdom and in grace. I pray for you to have this grace and wisdom bestowed upon you. And wisdom comes by vindication, humiliation, and often buy a glory we dare not ask for... a total surrender of our lives.
Adrian
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