My God in All Things
We are celebrating the days that follow the celebration of
the Incarnation of Jesus on Christmas Day which will lead us to Epiphany on
January 6. While we waited in Advent,
preparing for our Lord’s coming, we now enter into the liturgical year and the
many different times of celebration in the Church. These days of 2023 are quickly coming to a
close and I think most of us would agree that it has been a tumultuous year
filled with lots of odd contradictions.
We have a government that seems to want to self-destruct on many
different levels, and with this next year as an election year, the turmoil,
dissension, and division will only seem to increase. We have wars still continuing in the Middle
East, and the Ukraine, with even more threats of wars on the horizon. In all of this, we also have our God, who is
sovereign and rules – by his Providence – over all of the earth.
On this sixth day of Christmas, we’re reminded of the
narrative of Mary and Joseph taking their eight-day-old son, Jesus, to the
Temple to be circumcised and named.
Luke 2:22-35
“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of
Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is
written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be
called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in
the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was
righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy
Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought
in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he
took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to
your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people
Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this
child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign
that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that
thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Simeon represents the best of what we can prayerfully live
for – to look for Jesus in our world.
While Mary and Joseph are acting in obedience to God’s law in faithfully
bringing their new-born Son to be circumcised, God was – by His Spirit –
leading Simeon to “see” – “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ…” This, I believe, is how we
order our lives. Not by looking around
at the confusion and chaos of the world.
There’s nothing about what is happening in our world at the present that
is any different from what has been happening in our world since the Fall in
the Garden.
Jesus reminded us, “And you will hear of wars and rumors
of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is
not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and
there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but
the beginning of the birth pangs” (Matthew 24:6-8).
We have to learn how to live as Christians, with the values,
ways, life, and truth of God’s word as our guiding light. We have to learn to live with a love of God’s
creation, including the people of the world, without letting the world’s values
pervert our faith.
One of my best times reading this last year was in the
book, “An Introduction to a Devout and Holy Life”, by St. Francis de
Sales. St. Francis was born in France in
1567 and died in 1622. St. Francis lived
during a time of deep division in Europe, and he gracefully pastored in the
middle of a great political, religious, and economic crisis. St. Francis reminded me that the most
important question a Christian can ask when making any decision in life is
"Where is the greatest love is to be found”. In one of my most treasured quotes from my
readings this last year St. Francis said:
“Whatever may happen, Lord, you who hold everything in your hands and whose
ways are all justice and truth, … I will love you, Lord, … I will love you
here, O my God; I will hope always in your mercy and ever repeat your praise… O
Lord Jesus, you will always be my hope and my salvation in the land of the
living”.
The church just celebrated (Dec. 29), the 400th anniversary
of St. Francis de Sales' death. In
reading the book “Introduction to a Devout and Holy Life”, he reminded me
that the greatest joy, as well as the greatest weapon against the darkness of the world, is
the love of God that leads forever to his mercy and grace in Christ Jesus.
Peace to you at the end of 2023, and prayers for greater peace in the year ahead.
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