Reflect in your Heart that the Word is with You
January
1, 2013
The Octave Day of
Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
By Beth DeCristofaro
The
LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)
The
shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant
lying in the manger. When they saw this,
they made known the message that had
been told them about this child. All who
heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. (Luke 2:16-19)
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. (Luke 2:16-19)
Piety
Dear God,
On this day I ask You to grant this request…
May I know who I am and what I am,
Every moment of every day.
May I be a catalyst for light and love,
And bring inspiration to those whose eyes I meet.
May I have the strength to stand tall in the face of conflict,
And the courage to speak my voice, even when I’m scared.
May I have the humility to follow my heart,
And the passion to live my soul’s desires.
May I seek to know the highest truth
And dismiss the gravitational pull of my lower self.
May I embrace and love the totality of myself…
My darkness as well as my light.
May I be brave enough to hear my heart…
To let it soften so that I may gracefully
Choose faith over fear.
Today is my day to surrender anything that stands
Between the sacredness of my humanity and my divinity.
May I be drenched in my Holiness
And engulfed by Your love.
May all else melt away.
And so it is.
On this day I ask You to grant this request…
May I know who I am and what I am,
Every moment of every day.
May I be a catalyst for light and love,
And bring inspiration to those whose eyes I meet.
May I have the strength to stand tall in the face of conflict,
And the courage to speak my voice, even when I’m scared.
May I have the humility to follow my heart,
And the passion to live my soul’s desires.
May I seek to know the highest truth
And dismiss the gravitational pull of my lower self.
May I embrace and love the totality of myself…
My darkness as well as my light.
May I be brave enough to hear my heart…
To let it soften so that I may gracefully
Choose faith over fear.
Today is my day to surrender anything that stands
Between the sacredness of my humanity and my divinity.
May I be drenched in my Holiness
And engulfed by Your love.
May all else melt away.
And so it is.
Study
People
have so many traditions around the New Year.
Eat black-eyed peas. Spend the
eve in prayer, listening to testimonials and witness to God’s presence in our
lives. Light bonfires to burn away what
we want to leave behind. Make a
resolution for a new beginning.
Party! Scare away bad luck and demons
by lighting firecrackers. Ring a bell
108 times to symbolize 108 troubles eliminated.
Traditions link us to deep roots of humanity.
For
Catholics, sharing in the Eucharist for a world desiring peace bonds us again
as a deep-rooted community whose God offers the Divine face to shine upon and
bless us. The Eucharist links us to our
Holy Mother whose faith gave her a “yes” to speak and a heart open to ponder
both wonder and suffering. The Eucharist
links us to the Kingdom of God which grows with each New Year in the piety,
faith and action of the Church.
Action
Reflect
in your heart on where the Word is active in your life. Reflect on how you can bring the Word to life
in new ways in this New Year.
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