Three Morsels Of Thought | December 30, 2015

December 30, 2015

One morsel from each of today’s readings:

1.     “But whoever does the will of God remains forever.” 1 John 2:17…Doing the will of God is not always easy, but the rewards are worth the effort: remaining forever. I want to be with God forever and so in order to do that I must do His will. The tricky part is discerning His will and that is where I have failed many times, but with each failure comes some sort of experiential knowledge and that is never a waste. Any time we can learn and grow, while it is painful, it is always a step closer to perfection, a step closer to heaven. I pray that I may always be faithful to God’s will in my life.

2.     “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!” Psalm 96…The heavens are glad when we give glory and praise to God. When the heavens are glad, there will be rejoicing on earth, so the more we praise God, the more earth can rejoice. It seems so simple, but it is so very hard most especially in times of trial. When I am simply trying to keep my head above water, praising God moves to the bottom of my list. However, today’s Psalm gives me a strong nudge to change that list around and praise God as I am almost drowning. At this point, it can’t hurt and I might just be rescued. Easier said than done, but it seems like a great plan.

3.     “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” Luke 2:40…I love the thought of Jesus growing because it helps me embrace my own growing pains. It says He became strong, meaning that he was probably tested and even though he was sinless, mistakes are required for learning and so perhaps there some of those for young Jesus so that he also became filled with wisdom. The wisest people I know are those that use their firsthand experiences to teach them how to act next time. I’m sure that Jesus was a pretty fast learner, but it still gives me hope that I too can become strong and filled with wisdom and that hopefully the favor of God will be upon me.

I know it’s not my typical daily reflection filled with my over active imagination, but it’s where I am today and that’s all I can offer. May you know and follow God’s will today, give praise and glory to God throughout, and know that God is not done with you yet, there is still room to grow. Blessings.

Reading 1 1 JN 2:12-17

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.

Responsorial Psalm PS 96:7-8A, 8B-9, 10

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.

Gospel LK 2:36-40

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.