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| A Time of Renewal |  | | Oh Jesus, sometimes I think of prayer as a duty, but you have shown me that it is a time of renewal, peace, and refreshment. You carry my burdens for me. Thank you for opening my eyes to your goodness and restorative grace. May I be still before you and soak in your love. | | |
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
St. Egwin
(d. 717)
You say you're not familiar with today's saint? Chances are you aren't—unless you're especially informed about Benedictine bishops who established monasteries in medieval England. 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.  Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and FeastBy Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
Presence "I stand at the door and knock," says the Lord.
What a wonderful privilege
that the Lord of all creation desires to come to me.
I welcome His presence. Freedom Many countries are at this moment suffering the agonies of war.
I bow my head in thanksgiving for my freedom.
I pray for all prisoners and captives. Consciousness At this moment Lord I turn my thoughts to you.
I will leave aside my chores and preoccuptions.
I will take rest and refreshment in your presence Lord.
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.
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Conversation I begin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture I have just read. What part of it strikes a chord in me? Perhaps the words of a friend - or some story I have heard recently - will slowly rise to the surface in my consciousness. If so, does the story throw light on what the scripture passage may be trying to say to me? 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.
Meditation: Luke 2:36-40 View NAB Reading at USCCB.org 6th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. (Luke 2:37) Luke's sketch of Anna—a true daughter of Zion—invites us to reflect on the tremendous impact that the birth of Jesus had on Israel. By telling her story as he did, Luke gave his gentile readers (who were unfamiliar with Israel's history) a glimpse of the way God's plan of salvation unfolded within Israel's history. For example, Anna's great age and her lifetime of prayer represent the many centuries that the Jews spent preparing for and longing for the coming of their Messiah—centuries spent in prayer, intercession, and obedience to God. Anna must have known much pain upon the death of her husband after only seven years of marriage. Over the years, she probably experienced a great deal of loneliness as well. In ancient times, unmarried women in general, and widows in particular, were often looked down on or forgotten about. By choosing Anna as he did, God shows how little he cares about social stature when it comes to selecting his witnesses! Despite a lifetime of sorrows, Anna never became bitter. Instead, she found solace as she opened her heart to the Lord in prayer. "She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer" (Luke 2:37). This remarkable woman of faith had transformed her many difficult years into a lifelong ministry of intercession for the redemption of Israel. And God exhibited a special love for this "prophetess" (2:36) by endowing her with a sensitivity and awareness of the Messiah's coming. What a model for us! Anna's patience and long suffering embody the human heart's longing for salvation. Do you sometimes feel worn out, abandoned, or insignificant to God? Nothing could be further from the truth. If you turn to God, as Anna did, his grace will fill your life. Turn your sorrows over to the Lord. Worship him, and intercede for the redemption of his people. By doing so, you can become a witness of God's presence in our midst. God will fill your life with hope and promise in a way that nothing else in the world can. "Lord, I offer my life to you. I want to join all your saints in building your kingdom." 1 John 2:12-17
Psalm 96:7-10
my2cents:
Much is not known of the "hidden" years of Christ. When He was a little boy, all we heard is that He grew strong, and God's favor was upon Him. I'm not a big fan of always preaching on the "favor of God" but it is real, but not as taught by many protestants. We have to dig deep if you want to expose God's favor, and by deep, I'm talking deeply in love with God, such as that in doing so one is exposed and pre-disposed to actual grace. It will take a cursillo (short but intense course in Christianity) to begin to learn upon what is given by God yet not exactly spelled out as many things are not spelled out in the bible. But it is there and the favor gives strength to the weak, and they will run and not grow weary walk and not grow faint as described in Isaiah, Chapter 40:29-31. And this is how we are too made strong, because Jesus our Lord and King said we could do everything He did and even more. He healed so that we may believe, He raised from the dead so that we would trust. He was so strong that He not only turned the cheek but His whole entire body, for us to see and believe and follow the Way. In the Spanish 5minutos it said that Simeon and the prophetess Anna were lay people, not clergy. That speaks volumes to all of us baptized into the same, to be not only priest, and king but PROPHETS. We all have this guiding light to the truth, and you'll know the truth as it pulls you with self surrender.
I read a line today that said "Hold rather to those things in which, in thy dealings with thy fellowman, ye may see only the pure, the good! For until ye are able to see within the life and activities of those ye have come to hate the most, something ye would worship in thy Creator, ye haven't begun to think straight." It is an eye opener for all the haters out there, those that can't see eye to eye, or talk, mute, deaf, and dumb to one another. For this Jesus came to heal that, and much more. St. Rose of Lima said ""When we serve the poor and the sick we serve Jesus. We must not fail to help our neighbors, because in them we serve Jesus." Your neighbor is not who you just live next to, but someone who you are next to., as John evidently says, If you love not your brother whom you see, how can you love God, whom you do not see? 1 John 4:20. And we are winding our way up the Holy Scriptures. The Psalms say to give and said it 3 times in a row then to give gifts and worship in Holy Attire and to tremble before the Lord. It is an experience to give. Thing is we need to know how to give, and only the Lord will reveal to a pre-disposed and exposed heart to His grace, the strength of favor. Today's 1st Holy Scripture from 1Jn, we read at the end "...the world and its enticement are passing away.
But whoever does the will of God remains forever. " It is asking to stop pretending to be important, putting on a facade of strength but to take on the life of real strength of God. What is pretentious? Atempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed: God wants us to be real, and for reals, really His, heart, mind and soul, with all our STRENGTH to Love Him first and foremost above all; 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." Anna remains forever, Simeon remains forever, everyone doing the will of God remains forever, in His loving sight, is made strong, because this in turn, actual grace is a favor from God, flying on eagle's wings soaring at great heights in the realms of love like no other. Not much is known of the early years of Christ, but what little is known writes forever what will be of those that do the will of God, taking the lead of our Blessed Mother, and Joseph, all in Nazareth preparing the way forever, for a different world forever, and it is MARVELOUS!
GLORY TO YOU OH LORD
 adrian
Going4th,
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