4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Presentation of the Lord

Every night, all over the world, religious men and women, priests, deacons and many lay people recite a few verses from today’s gospel, Luke 2:22-40. The verses are used during Night Prayer which is part of the Liturgy of the Hours. They form a prayer called the Nunc dimittis: “Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.” This is Simeon’s prayer that he offered after seeing the baby Jesus in the Temple forty days after his birth.

Simeon’s story is the centrepiece of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord that we celebrate today. It’s another epiphany, an appearance or manifestation of a divine being. In this case the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that the forty day old baby he held in his arms was “the Christ of the Lord.” The Spirit promised Simeon that he would not die until he actually saw the Messiah. Holding the child, Simeon rejoiced and proclaimed his beautiful prayer of thanksgiving. For Simeon the child represented the end of his life. Like John the Baptist, Simeon was a messenger who must diminish so that the mission of Jesus could be fulfilled.

After giving Joseph and Mary a blessing, Simeon has some challenging words for Mary, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” This is the paradox of the feast we celebrate today. It is a feast of joy and light. In other countries it often is called Candlemas when candles are blessed and lit to reflect Christ as our Light. However Simeon’s words to Mary remind us that there is a price to pay for following the Light of Christ. For Simeon and John the Baptist the price was death. For Mary the price was the pain she would experience when her son was crucified.

The challenge for us on this Feast Day is to commit to the demands placed on us as followers of Christ. The life of a Christian is not all sweetness and light. However, we can pray that the Light of Christ will illuminate our life’s journey so that we like Simeon, will see “the salvation which [God has] prepared in the sight of every people.

God our Father,

you spoke your mighty word to the world

and there was light.

You have spoken your Word Jesus Christ among us

and there is light in our minds and hearts.

Do not allow us to keep this light of Jesus

hidden but let it shine in our words and deeds,

that it may brighten the footsteps

of all people in search of the truth.

We ask you this through Jesus Christ our Lord

who is the light and the guiding star of our lives,

Amen.

Faith

Faith is not something we have or can keep, for it is not something". As St. Declan once said, "When I say I have attained enlightenment, please do not think there is anything that I have attained." A seeker's faith is not attained, contained, or maintained. It is not a body of beliefs held to unswervingly. It is, rather, a response to and embrace of what is unbelievable; it is a willingness to live in relationship to the Mystery that is beyond our comprehension but which comprehends us. As we move forward along a spiritual path becoming more and more taken with the Presence that stirs within all life, we become transformed, focused, smitten, and committed to continued transformation. Our lives become faith-filled, and we become faithful to the living, dynamic Presence that summons us to live dynamically.

Crayons

David Wallechinsky in "The Complete Book Of The Olympics" (Penguin Books, 1984) gives us a story that is worth retelling.

It is 1936. American Jesse Owens seems sure to win the long-jump competition in the Olympic games. The previous year he had jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches -- a record that will stand for 25 years.

As he walks to the long-jump pit, however, Owens sees a tall, blue-eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range. Owens feels nervous. He is acutely aware of the Nazis’ desire to prove “Aryan superiority.” And as a black son of a sharecropper, he knows what it is like to be made to feel inferior.

On his first jump, Owens inadvertently leaps from several inches beyond the takeoff board. Rattled, he fouls on his second attempt, too. One more foul and he will be eliminated.

At this point, the tall German introduces himself as Luz Long. “You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!” he says to Owens, referring to his upcoming two jumps.

For the next few moments, the African American and the white Nazi chat together. Then Long makes a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance is only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there, just to play it safe? Owens does and qualifies easily.

In the finals, Owens sets an Olympic record and earns the second of four gold medals. But who is the first person to congratulate him? Luz Long - in full view of Adolf Hitler.

Owens never again sees Long, who is later killed in World War II. “You could melt down all the medals and cups I have,” Owens later writes, “and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long.”

Perhaps unknowingly, Luz Long taught the world a valuable lesson.

Someone else put it like this: “We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors. But they all have to learn to live in the same box.”

Bicycle on Ceiling

A bicycle hanging from the ceiling cannot achieve its intended purpose.

The same thing can be said of The Bible sitting on the shelf in your room!

The Best Day of My Life!

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever.  There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger. 

I will go through this day with my head held high and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts:

the morning dew, 

the sun,

the clouds,

the trees,

the flowers,

the birds.

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people.  I'll make someone smile.  I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know.

Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down.  I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. 

I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine. 

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens.  I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be... 

the best day of my life, ever!

Sing your Songs

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the second part of today’s gospel, Luke 4:14-21, we hear St Luke’s account of Jesus launching his mission to the world. Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, he travelled to “Nazareth, where he had grown up” and he walked into the local synagogue for an ordinary Sabbath service as he did every Sabbath day. There, in the presence of his family, friends and neighbors, Jesus took up the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). We will hear the response of the people of Nazareth in next Sunday’s gospel.

As I reflected on this reading, it occurred to me that Nazareth was an unlikely place to launch a global movement. It was Mary’s home town and is where the annunciation occurred. However, during the time of Roman occupation, it probably was nothing more than a small agricultural village of no significance. This possibly is why Nathanael would exclaim, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Contrast this launch with say Apple’s launch of a new iPhone. When a new iPhone is released, it is a global sensation. People swarm the stores to grab the latest model.

The message Jesus delivered to the people of Nazareth was far more profound than the launch of an iPhone although only a handful of people heard him. Jesus brought a message of healing, hope and freedom. He called upon the people of Nazareth and he calls upon us to be people of transformation. We too are anointed to bring the good news to people who are poor, captives, blind and oppressed. It is our job to proclaim the Kingdom of God and a year “acceptable to the Lord.” After several thousand years, Jesus’ message is still relevant. The mission statement has not changed. I wonder where the iPhone will be in 2000 years.

Lord God,

whose compassion embraces all peoples,

whose law is wisdom, freedom, and joy for the poor,

fulfil in our midst your promise

that we may receive the gospel of salvation with faith

and, anointed by the Spirit, freely proclaim it.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN.