Longing, Desire and Fulfillment

Looking ahead to this coming week...

February 2 is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which means it is 40 days since Christmas. I am not going to go into the history of this feast or the teachings around it. This feast is one of my most favorite liturgical celebrations of the year. Not counting Christmas and Easter and the Presentation my other favorite feasts are Epiphany, All Saints, St. Michael, St. Francis, and well any Canadian Saint but especially Br. Andre, Kateri, and both Marguerite Bourgeoys and Marguerite d'Youville. However this post is not about my favorite things.J

I love this feast because it speaks of the promises fulfilled in the birth of Christ.  It speaks to me of light, hope, trust and the value of life. It speaks of the beauty of encountering Christ and how that changes us. We also are introduced to two people who fascinate me, Simeon and Anna, two wise elders with deep trust and a deep prayer life (they remind me of my awesome Grandparents). I love these two characters and would love to have a great conversation with them some day! J

The story of Simeon & Anna and the Presentation in the Temple can be found in Luke 2.22-40. It connects so beautiful to the Christmas story and also the prophecies of the O Antiphons from the last days of Advent. It was during those days of this past Advent that I wrote the following. Our longing for the Christ Child was fulfilled at Christmas and today’s feast is a reminder that truly Emmanuel -God is With Us! May we let our light shine!

Longing, Desire and Fulfillment 

Come O Come Emmanuel,

We long for you,

We desire you,

I long for you,

I desire you.

I am a an old man,

Grey is my hair,

Slow is my way,

Still each day I am here at the temple.

Come O Come God Most High,

We long for your wisdom,

We desire your wisdom,

I long for it,

I desire your wisdom to nourish me.

I come here and pray,

I come here and ponder,

I come here faithful,

For I know you keep your promises.

Come O Come Lord of Might,

We long for your law,

We desire your law,

I long for it,

I desire it to guide my ways.

How will I know you?

Will it be your eyes?

Will it be your voice?

Will it be your power?

Come O Come Root of Jesse,

We long for your love,

We desire your love,

I long for it,

I desire for it to bloom in my heart.

I will know you,

I know I will,

My heart will connect with yours,

For you are hope and promise.

Come O Come Key of David,

We long for your kingdom,

We desire your kingdom,

I long for it,

I desire to enter your fullness.

Each day I see and hear dear Anna,

Her deep prayers, her trust in you,

Her words of wisdom,

Her awareness of the promise.

Come O Come Rising Dawn,

We long for your light,

We desire your light,

I long for it,

I desire for it to fill me.

Together her and I, seek you,

And yet seem to know you,

We wait, we hope,

We long for and we desire you.

Come O Come King of Nations

We long for your peace,

We desire your peace,

I long for it,

I desire for it to rest in my heart.

This couple I see, their child,

Their child, I know,

It is he! it is he!

Messiah, Emmanuel.

You have come Emmanuel,

You have come,

And now Anna and I may go in peace,

Go in your peace… Emmanuel.

O God,

Source and origin of all light,

who on this day showed

to the just Simeon and Anna

the Light for revelation to the Gentiles,

pour into our hearts, we pray,

the brilliance of perpetual light,

so that we who are brightened

in your holy temple

may happily reach the light of your glory.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

- adapted from Blessing of Candles for today.

I encourage you to celebrate on February 2 in some small way.

Light some candles (having candles blessed is a part of this Feast), enjoy a treat that reminds you of Christmas, turn on the Christmas lights, sing ‘The Light of Christ’ or ‘This Little Light of Mine’, read the scriptures for today (Malachi 3.1-4, Psalm 24, Hebrews 2.10-11,13-18, and the gospel mentioned above) or spend some time with an image of the Nativity or of this feast.

Please also say a special prayer for those who live Consecrated Life (Religious Sisters, Nuns, Brothers and Priests) as February 2 is World Day for Consecrated Life.

Celebrate for truly the Light of Christ has come into the World!

He Unrolled the Scroll

In this Sunday's Gospel, Luke 4.14-21, we hear of Jesus going to the synagogue in Nazareth and reading from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. This piece of scripture has always intrigued me. I picture it happening after the wedding feast and miracle at Cana. I picture it as Jesus growing more and more comfortable with his earthly journey. I picture it as Jesus embodying his mission deeply, and also proclaim the truth that the kingdom of God is here and now and will be forever. It is a powerful scene.

I’ve been trying to figure out why I find it so powerful. Maybe I connect with it for I see it as a transition, or maybe because I see it as affirmation or maybe because there is so much richness in the words from Isaiah and Christ making them real. There is this sense of light growing, this feeling of fullness, and this sense of radiating power, goodness and mercy. It truly is an encounter of God. God real and present in Jesus. God real and present in God’s love. God real and present in the call to live out our mission and that God is with us. It connects with Emmanuel – God With Us – the name given to Jesus by the angel when announcing his birth. God is indeed with us always and Christ brings this into reality. In Jesus proclaiming and claiming the words of the Prophet, he is saying God is here for you, for me, for everyone, the rich, the poor, the hurting, the free, the imprisoned. God is here. With Jesus proclaiming this, it also serves as a challenge for us to live out the fullness of our baptismal call, to live as children of God, to live the gift of our life with the purpose and meaning it has been blessed with. It is a call to life. Life calls us beyond ourselves. It calls us to love, it calls us to continually make God our center.

As a Franciscan there is a flavor of our vows and rule in the words Jesus proclaims. There is what we call our charism; to live the gospel at all times, to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and creation, to embrace the poor (no matter how they are poor) so that they too may claim their dignity. The challenge is not necessarily easy, but it is one we grow into more and more. It is one we strive for, so that the Kingdom of God may be known and God’s mercy shared.

May we hear these words of Scripture ring in our ears, and may we stand next to Christ, knowing he is our strength and hope, and have the courage to also proclaim the words of the prophet.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me:

God is at work in us,

Beauty, energy, creativity, fullness

Life, called to life and to trust.

He has anointed me to bring the good news to the poor:

We are chosen, we have a mission,

The good news comes as a blanket, a kind word, a hug, food

Generosity not for our egos, but for God’s glory.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives:

Our voices are voices that makes a difference,

Freedom is a beautiful gift. How do we contribute to it?

Do we hold others down so we can get ahead or do we stand in solidarity?

Recovery of sight to the blind:

We can see, but not always,

Our heart is sometimes closed and blocks our vision,

We have to keep our eyes fixed on the Light of the world.

To let the oppressed go free:

We know freedom, our freedom is greater than not,

How can we help others know this freedom?

It is a choice to radiate you Jesus, even in our struggles.

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour:

God with us today, tomorrow always,

God gives us the gift of God's free love,

Grace and Mercy, a gift lavishly given to us.

Lord our God,

Continue to fulfill your will in us

Today and every day.

One way we can live out this proclamation this week, is to remember and pray for the community of La Loche. The tragedy of this past week, is one that should touch all our hearts. It has caused great sadness in me. 

May we be bearers of good news and help release those entombed in sorrow, pain, anger and hurt. May we offer our prayers for the deceased, for their family, for the young man who committed the crime, for his family and for the whole community.  May peace, hope and strength be showered upon this community. We are neighbour. We are brothers and sisters. We are all family.

Remaining & Rejoicing

The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2.1-12) is always a good story. It is interesting to see Mary encourage Jesus “do whatever he tells you”, Jesus begin his ministry “the first of his signs”, hear of a good party “you have kept the good wine until now”, and see that even Jesus took time after celebrations to focus and appreciate blessings “went to Capernaum…remained there a few days”. It really has the makings of a good story and one we can all appreciate, since we have all been to wedding, or have encountered a blessing after a time of lacking and also appreciate times to focus and appreciate life.

I was going to write about the joy of celebrations and the goodness that comes from them. I even was reminiscing about a few good weddings that I have enjoyed. However I was struck by the words “remained there a few days” and also the words from Isaiah 62.5 “So shall your God rejoice over you.” You never know how scripture will strike you.

Remained there a few days…

This strikes me in that Jesus clearly shows us the gift of taking a step back, taking time to reflect, taking time for Sabbath. Anyone who knows me, knows I always have a “To Do List” on the go. There is always something to be done, accomplished, or crossed off. This was helpful in ministry and is now helpful as a student. As great as what it feels to get things crossed off the list and rejoice in tasks accomplished, there comes a time when stepping back is more important that crossing off the list. In the busy mix of life God offers us the opportunity for these moments, be they minutes, hours or days.

As I write this I am thankful for the moments of the past week that allowed for some “remaining there”. One such moment was a much needed and enjoyed afternoon with a classmate to simply discuss the adventure of life. These sacred hours were time to reflect, lighten the load and inflame the heart. Those few hours allowed me to see with new eyes, hear words I needed to hear and ponder the journey with a new perspective.  

Then there is the gift of a quiet morning, those few moments of lying in bed before the day launches ahead, a walk, or simply enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and looking out a window. No matter what it is, no matter how I “remain there” or step back, each time I am nourished and fueled up to embrace the adventures that await or the items that need to be crossed of that list.

So shall your God rejoice over you…

Just saying those words, just reading those words, just hearing those words stir up in me joy, peace and hope. As I read these words at Mass they struck my heart and soul. God rejoices over me, over you, over all God’s creation. God rejoices over us like parents over a newborn or as Isaiah says “like a bridegroom over his bride”, or elsewhere in scripture we read like a shepherd over a lost sheep, or a woman over a lost coin. Isn’t that amazing?

God loves us so much, that God rejoices over us… always! I imagine God doing a happy dance or giving an angel a high-five in this rejoicing. Which would mean a lot of dancing and high-fives. We sometimes get so caught up in the negative our world we fail to see the good. However God does not. Amen to that. 

So even when the “To Do List” is not crossed off, even when the day has been long, even when studying is hard, even when we hurt or feel alone, our God is there and rejoices over us. Why? Because our God created us good, created us holy, created us with love. God sees that even when we cannot and God still rejoices over us!

Like I said, joy, peace and hope again settled into me as I read those words, I hope they can for all of us. Blessings indeed. Our God is so good.

May the week ahead allow for us to take some time to “remain there” with the Lord, and may we enter into the journey of the week knowing God rejoices over us, simply because God wants to, simply because we are good, simply because we are God’s.

Today is the day that Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad! (Psalm 118.24)

2016: Light, Transform, Promise, Together & Hope = Life

Here we are with the Christmas Season drawing to a close and in the first new days of 2016. The combination of those two things along with Christmas time with family, recent reflections I have read, my own time to ponder the past year, the many blessings I have encountered and launching into a New Year is causing me to be more aware of words such as light, transform, promise, together and hope. They all point to life.

I could point you to readings I have done, to blogs that have opened up my inner thoughts, to prayers that have spoken to my heart, but I will try to share with you how they and my Christmas time are stirring my deeper awareness of the above mentioned words.

Light.

Christ Child, Flame of Love,

may your birth be for me each day

a deeper discovery of you,

and may your light radiate out from me

into the world that is seeking light.

Transform.

Jesus, your birth transformed lives,

not only your mother Mary and earthly father Joseph,

but also the shepherds and the wise men,

like them may we ponder you,

glorify you, and go about our lives in a new way,

knowing you can and have and will continue to transform our hearts.

Promise.

Your birth is a new beginning,

the New Year is a new beginning,

Epiphany is a new beginning

and all come with a promise.

A promise of life,

a promise for opportunities,

a promise of your love for all.

May these promises guide all the days of 2016.

Together.

Family, Friends, Neighbours.

The Season of Christmas draws us together.

The gift of togetherness nourishes us and fills us.

May this blessing send us out into our communities

and the world to those who do not know this gift

so we may be signs of welcome, warmth, and generosity,

for we are all better and stronger when we are together.

Hope.

The word of Advent, the word of Christmas, the word of a New Year,

The word that is so much deeper than just a word,

more powerful than four little letters.

A word that draws me closer to the Christ Child

and to journey with him through life, through struggles,

and even through death to new life.

Hope… eternally there is hope. I thankful for that.

I conclude with this prayer from Morning Lauds on January 7.

Rejoice in the wonderful works of the Lord for he has given us

hope through the birth of his Son. Let us cry out with great joy:

Glory to God in the highest.

With Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, our whole being proclaims your greatness, Lord.

With the apostles and evangelists, we give you thanks Lord.

With all your holy witnesses in the Church, we dedicate our lives to you Lord in deepest faith.

Amen.

Blessings to you as we write the 12 chapters of 2016.

Let us entrust them to the Author of Life.