Today’s Thoughts: Feast of St. Thomas Becket – We find ourselves listening to the story of Simeon in our Gospel from Luke today (Luke 2:22-35) and St. John in his First Letter (1John 2:3-11).
I have always liked the story of Simeon. It is a very tender scene. Tomorrow we will hear the other half of this story as we will encounter the story of Anna. Two people who have dedicated their lives to God waiting for this moment. You can hear the joy in their voices as they realize the purpose of their lives coming to completion, both embraced by the Holy Spirit graced with the gift of hope. They like St. John in our first reading, do not sugar coat the message they tell it like it is – or should I say like it will be. There will be sorrow and struggle but also life. Rather than speak about the "rise and fall" Simeon speaks of the "fall and rise." The cross is part of Jesus' story, but it is not the end. Death leads to life, doubt is embraced by faith, sorrow and struggle turns to joy! St. John puts it another way and it is something we should think about given this moment in history. John speaks of the one old and new commandment – to love as Jesus loves. According to John, the way we can be sure of our knowledge of Jesus is to keep his commandments. The person who claims, “I have known him,” without keeping his commandments, is a liar; in such a one there is no truth. In other words, if we don’t love others as Jesus did, we are liars! Perhaps as we listen to Simeon and St. John today, we need to remember that in being a person of faith our direction in life is always "upwards." Hope means that no matter how difficult things seem to get, no matter what the struggle – God is always with us. If we can be patience like Simeon and if we follow the command of love, the light of God will always direct our way, death, doubt, struggle and sorrow will become life, faith and joy! Have a great Tuesday everyone!
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Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
May 2023
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