The poor have the good news proclaimed for them. We rejoice for the good news is upon us. The word of God is with us and in us and among us. God, help us recognize your presence, to slow down and stop being BUSY (Buried Under Satan's Yoke). Hurry is incompatible with love, and it is the great enemy of the spiritual life. Too busy to do the right thing and too busy to do what we need and ought to do. Love is time consuming!

Jesus is about slow and taking time. Why else would he offer us ETERNITY?

As we enter and branch off
In & as each different stream of water,
Let us share flow equitably as pressure,
May no loose colmation of ignorance
Seperate us. To the maturity of our emotions
And to the equality of our intellect;
May we wash away
All the built up silt and dead rot,
Which if without purpose
Only exists as an obstacle
Toward greater understanding.
May we wind & wade not
Where we face arrest by impasses
But are found by oceans.
May we be worthy,
That we walk away
More than we entered.

We have been given the greatest mission
In the greatest love story ever written
It's a call to love; it's a call to action
It's the spark that starts a chain reaction
It's a call to faith; it's a call to holiness
It's a call to arms and it's nothing less
It's a mission not hard to understand
And it boils down to one command:
Love each other sister and brother
Be the light of the world, the salt of the earth
You're special, you matter, right from birth

Everyone wants to be loved and to feel loved
Everyone needs someone to be there
To have someone who truly cares
Go into the world and live it out
People you meet will have no doubt
Of whom you are or what you believe
You have become what you received:
You have become the body of Christ!

His hands healing the sick, feeding the poor
His merciful heart that loves and adores
His feet that walked countless miles
His kindly face and his gentle smiles
His palms up, his arms outstretched
Embracing the world from east to west

Reflect on these
And hold them in your heart
Then, bless God and thank Him
When you start
Becoming the very Body of Christ

Glory to God in the Highest
Glory to Him the Angels sing
Glory to God in the Highest
Glory to the newborn King

Let Heaven and Earth adore
Let every tongue confess
The moment you've waited for:
The Prince of Peace at rest

Open your home, open your heart
Come find Him where He lay
In the place where it all starts
Rejoice! Salvation has come today

The day of the Lord is upon us
The moment has drawn nigh
See how much He loves on us
Sing Glory to our God most high

Glory to God in the Highest
Glory to Him the Angels sing
Glory to God in the Highest
Glory to the newborn King

Lord, so often I'm looking for the next thing
Believing that, happiness, it will bring
Then I find, to my dismay, it's not true at all
And, once again, my dreams and hopes fall
I'm looking for something to call my own
I'm longing for the feeling that I'm finally home
A place where I'm truly loved and fully known
A place where I never again have to feel alone
You say you have a plan for me: I believe it is true
You tell me that you love me: I believe that you do
You say you'll be always with me: I believe this too
You ask me just to trust, and I still hold back from you
The things of this world are fast and fleeting
But you love and word are forever keeping
When the affections of earth are cruel and cold
Help me recall love's anchor to which I must hold

Lord, teach me how to be wholly satisfied
Break these bonds of selfishness and pride
You are my shepherd, there is nothing that I lack
As I cast my eyes ahead, help me not look back
My eyes are ever wand'ring
And my heart, ever restless
But as I come into your presence
I am speechless, I am breathless
I stand amazed in wonder and in awe
As I see before me the very throne of God
The angels sing and anthems ring
Shouts of praise: Hosanna to our King
Holy, Holy, Holy saturates the air
Tears fill my eyes, and I don't even care
And now, like the morning sun, it dawns:
That this is where my heart belongs
The feeling fades and yet it lingers still
By your goodness and grace, it always will

No great story ever started with darkness?
Do you not know the greatest story ever told started with darkness?


Once upon a time,
Darkness plagued the land—
A great, powerful, grave darkness.
Darker than anything, man knows.
And how could he,
For man never lived in that darkness;
It was before time itself,
For there was no sun,
There was no moon,
And no stars, or plants.
There was only separation
Of the darkness and the Light.
And great was their separation,
As great chasms divide us from one another
So there was between the darkness and the Light,
But at this time darkness was known by a different name,
For it was not but the absence of light
But the absence of all that is good and holy.
It was called chaos,
For apart from the Light,
No good could be found.
And so it was,
And it was good.

Until the angels fell with thunderous rejection
Cast down from the Light,
For their hearts were filled with chaos
And hardened to fit their form.
So their hearts were set against the nature of the Light;
Their chaos was filled with murderous intent,
Hatred of their faithful kin,
And displeasure in the good nature of the Light.
And he who led them had great envy,
Desiring that the light would be his.
Plotting for glory and power
To be placed in his unfit fist,
For once he carried the Light true and pure,
But now his chaos made him unfit,
For it would disgrace the Light
And inflict wrath upon him.
For no chaos could touch the Light
Without severance of chaos,
And bound to body and mind was their chaos.
So the prince of chaos plotted for his own glory
Yet brought wrath upon him and his followers,
Mistaking what he once held to be his.

And it is this darkness that blinds us so.
Making us selfish,
Mistaking what we held, to be our own bit of light,
For only what is holy may hold light.
We, man, are nothing more than the spawn of the Light.
Who, like the accusor and his kin, chose chaos
So that we may do anything our heart desires.
And the Light, being gracious and true
Did not sever us from the light
But granted us audience through the Sacrifice
That we may reflect the Light
As we did on the day of our birth.

Come sit with me by the fire
Take in the glow and warmth
The lights are low and the night is young
Time for a chat, a look back
The mood is fine and all is divine
Sit back, relax, and ease your mind
Let's pause and now rewind the time
To replay the moments: highs and lows
Looking at some decisions you chose

Come sit with me for a little while
Come close and let me hold you child
The storm outside is full of fury and sound
But in here you are on safe solid ground

Come sit with me for a moment or two
In this space, it's just me and you
Let me tell you a story from many years ago
A tale of love and honor suffering and glory
But there is something else you must know
It is as yet unfinished even to this day
Still, it remains the Life, the Truth, the Way

It begins at the beginning the first husband and wife
Everything was perfect and they knew no strife
They walked freely with God in complete honesty
And all the world was blessed in perfect harmony

Lord, I don't know where to begin. Life has thrown me a crazy curveball right now and I'm feeling a little anxious about it. I know that this is supposed to be a time of joy, celebration and thanksgiving, but I haven't been feeling it quite so much. I know there are lots of things to be joyful and thankful for: friends, family, my faith, food, water, clothing, shelter, a good job, being alive, being able to see a sunrise or sunset and the list goes on. Thank you for these Lord, and please help me always be mindful of the many blessings you have given me in my life!

Lord, you are the Prince of Peace. Right now, I could use some peace of mind, body and spirit in this crazy world.
You are the King of the Universe and all creation; help me rest in the knowledge that everything is under your command. You are in control.
You are the Divine Physician, healer of body and mind. Please Lord, heal what ails me physically and cast out any fear or doubt with your perfect love.

In the meantime, help me find my strength and comfort in You. Help me carry this cross of mine and, by it, help me to become more holy, more empathetic to those who are also in need of Your Comfort. Walk with me Lord on this road I am on and, if necessary, carry me.

Sometimes it's hard to see you, and sometimes it seems you are far away. Give me the grace to see with eyes of faith and seek you and find you all around me in big and small ways. But you say: "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. You will call on me and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart". (Jeremiah 29: 11-13)

Help me see you in someone who smiles at me as they pass by, the joy that comes in a walk outside on a nice fall day, the incredible beauty of a sunrise or sunset, on a good day with little pain, or having the strength and endurance for a long day and still feeling good afterwards.

Lord, I trust you. Help me trust you in this too and lean on the support and encouragement of my friends, family, spouse, church, and most importantly, You my Lord God. Please help me make a speedy and full recovery, so I can get back to the great work that you have so blessed and gifted me to be able to do. Help me continue to find joy in the job and strength for the journey. Bless my work Lord, that it may be a blessing for others and a blessing for you that others might change lives and hearts for the better and bring people closer to you!

AMEN

Today, Catholics celebrate the Presentation of Mary (by her parents to the church). In the days of old, the church was the primary medium of education and, in some cases, parents would dedicate their first born to the church as a sort of tithe giving back to God in gratitude for the first fruits of their blessings.

When we are young our parents took us and presented us to the church, and we are placed in the care of wise men and women to be taught and brought up in the life and the way and the truth. This is in hopes that we would grow in wisdom and age and favor before both God and man. When we are a little older, we can choose to present ourselves before the Lord and confess by our lips and our actions that we believe and serve. We take ownership of our faith. It is not simply our parents' faith anymore.

The presentation is an offering, a sacrifice, a return in gratitude of blessings. Let us, then, come daily before the Lord Our God and present ourselves to Him, to thank Him, to offer Him all our joys and sorrows, blessings, temptations, work and play. Let us begin by presenting Him with our day.

What would happen if WE would rededicate our hearts, our days, and our lives to Christ our Lord? Doing it can't make things any worse than they are by not doing it. So why not give it a shot?