Daily
Thoughts:
“What then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
I have celebrated a few baptisms in my life as a priest and there is one thing
I do the same at each one. During my homily, I ask all gathered to consider
asking themselves two questions as they celebrate the baptism of the child.
When they get a chance during the party that usually follows the baptism, to
hold the child for a moment, they are to ask themselves – First, what do they,
wish, dream, hope for this child? Second, how will they help this wish, dream,
hope to come true?
As I prayed
with the Gospel (Luke 1: 57-66) this morning the picture that I painted above
of a baptism came to mind. If you have ever taken a baby in your arms perhaps
one of the first questions that came to your mind was – “What will become of
this child?” The same question people asked at the circumcision of John. I
think it is a natural question to ask when seeing a new born. What will this
child be? What gifts, what talents, does this child have? What kind of life
will this child encounter, live? What lies ahead for this child?
Another
thought when looking at a new born is the fact that this child has come from
God. I use an image in one of my mission talks of a new born child coming into
the world. The image is that when a child is born, the child, she or he comes
directly from the hands of God. The last face before coming into the world a
child sees is God’s. If the child could speak in words that we could understand
she or he could tell us about God. Unfortunately, by the time the child can
speak in words we understand she or he have forgotten what God looks like and
like us, the child spends the rest of her or his life making the journey back
to those hands of God. Just think the first hands to embrace us after we take
our last breath will be God’s. The first face we will see will be God’s. In
other words, the hands of God are with us at birth and throughout our life.
The story
we find in the Gospel today about John’s circumcision is all of our stories.
When we came into the world people wondered what we would become. People looked
at us with love and knew God’s hands were at work. Yet, unlike John we don’t
know the end of our story. It is still being lived out, it still needs an
ending. We know what John became. We know how John lived out God’s call. We
know how John allowed God’s hands to be at work in his life.
Who then
are we? How then are God’s hands at work in us? These are our questions for
this day. These then are our questions for the celebration of Christmas. These
then are our questions for the beginning of a New Year.
Have a
great Wednesday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
Loving, God, to know you is life. To serve you is freedom. To praise you is our
soul's joy and delight. Guide us with the power of your grace here and in all
places. Today and at all times, forever. Amen. (Adapted from a Prayer by St.
Augustine of Hippo)
A
Runner’s Thoughts: Running well is a matter of having the patience to
persevere when we are tired and not expecting instant results. (Robert de Castella) So to in the spiritual
life – praying and living by faith is a matter of having the patience to
persevere when we are tried and instant results do not happen!
Daily
Blessing:
Wednesday greetings and blessings to all. I hope this finds you well and having
a good Wednesday before Christmas. I hope your shopping is done and that you
have a little time to breathe before beginning your celebration of Christmas,
though for many of you today is probably a work day. So whether we find
ourselves ready for Christmas or in the midst of this chaos let us trust that
all things are possible with God!
If you
are traveling today or will be tomorrow please travel safe, take it easy, take
it slow, it might take a little longer but you will get there in one piece and
it will be a much better celebration with you present, remember there are a lot
of crazy, in a hurry, none thinking people out there.
With just
a little over a day left until the Christmas celebrations begin let us pray
that these next hours of our life will be blessed and graced by God so we will
be ready to welcome the gift of the Christmas spirit into our lives.
Loving
God, bless us this day by reminding us that we have come into this world from
your hands and that your loving hands are always at work in our life. You have
created us in your image and likeness and gifted us to the world. May we live
that gift today and every day. May we make present your presence, your love and
your hope in all that we do and say today.
And may we be ready to celebrate the gift of Christmas surround by the
people most important to us. Loving God, come to life within us today and
always! Christmas blessings to all and Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment