Daily Thoughts: Good day
everyone and happy feast day! Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the
Lord, "Feast of the Meeting" and sometimes known at Candlemas Day as
candles are blessed on this day. Some say this is the true end to the Christmas
Season. It is certainly a day of blessing.
The Gospel (Luke 2:22-40) today tells
the story of Anna and Simeon two people waiting for the Lord. They were waiting
for the consolation and redemption of Israel and they both recognized it in the
child Jesus. Simeon's now famous words, words recited each evening near the end
of Night Prayer, words reflecting the joy Simeon has in being granted the gift
of seeing Jesus. Anna too is grateful for this opportunity both of them have
prayed and waited a long time.
Perhaps, Anna and Simeon reflect for us
the journey of faith that all of us are on. We long for the Kingdom of God, we
long for a day when the struggles, the times of sadness in life, the
difficulties of life will be gone, when will we see the gift of God in its
fullest. At that moment perhaps we will utter the words of Simeon. However
until then we wait and we journey in faith, we keep the faith like Anna and
Simeon, and we go about life hoping to encounter God's many gifts in simple
ways. Being on the lookout for an opportunity to hold God in our hands and feel
the blessing of God in our life.
May we truly be blessed this day knowing
that we are on a journey of faith that will bring us to the Kingdom where we
can truly give thanks!
Have a great Monday everyone!
Daily Prayer: O God, bless us
today with the gift of your love. Help us to take the time to recognize you as
we journey through this day. May we find you in ourselves, in others and in the
world around us. Give us the privilege to welcome Christ into this world as we
live life through your unrelenting grace! Amen!
A Runner's Thoughts: Remember run in
a way that allows you to find pleasure in the experience and helps you to know
the presence of God is with you!
Daily Blessing: Happy Monday –
Happy Feast of the Presentation of the Lord – And Happy Ground Hog Day! Yes, it's
Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil says...Six More Weeks of Winter! Oh, joy!
Our day here in Pelham has started out with that fact in mind, it snowed
through the night and is now sleeting! I guess I am not going anywhere today! I
hope your day has started better than mine and that there are many good things
ahead!
I guess most if not all of you watched
the Super Bowl last night though in reading reports it sound like it was a
Super Half Time Show with a football game one either side! As for me I
celebrated mass at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Manhattan at 6 pm and much to
my surprise with had a nice crowd, then I found a restaurant without a TV and
had a nice dinner. Then I made my way home and found a good movie on Netflix.
It was a perfect evening from my point of view. I hope your team won!
So my prayer of blessing today will be a
simple one. If you are home or at work,
if you are dealing with bad weather or not I pray that this day will be one of
many blessings for you! If you are hung over but happy may the pain in your
head leave soon so you can enjoy being happy. If you are still crying in your
beer may today ultimately end in you finding some peace remember there is
always next year. I pray that today will be the beginning of a great week for
everyone! As you journey through this week take comfort and hope in God and may
you find God’s blessing in the work you must do. May God’s blessing and grace help
you continue your journey of faith in the spirit of Anna and Simeon. To all
have a great day and many blessings in whatever this day brings! Peace in
Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
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