Loading...Morning Prayer Reflection
Good morning. Merry Christmas and happy New Year. As I begin my reflection, allow me to get back on my annual soap box and try to remind everyone that it’s still Christmas. The 12 days of Christmas didn’t start before Christmas — they began on Christmas day.
So that means today we celebrate the seventh day of Christmas.
If you recall the 12 days of Christmas song that means seven swans a swimming will be on your lawn.
Guess what. That also means you still have several days remaining with maids a milking, lords a leaping, drummers drumming, pipers piping, WHEW.
So don’t be in a hurry to take down your Christmas decorations. However, if you have already done so, remember it’s still OK to wish people Merry Christmas and of course, wish them Happy New Year, Health, Happiness and Peace.
Happy New Year? Wow. How time flies. Great cliché’ isn’t it? But lets reflect for a moment on this very scrunched up liturgical year — 2023.
The Liturgical New Year, Year B, the year of Mark, began on December 3rd. What makes this year so harried, and a whirlwind of special days is that the fourth Sunday of Advent was celebrated on Christmas Eve. What a rush. What a crunch of time. And those of you who assisted in the transformation of our church within hours are to be commended. Many thanks and blessings to all of you.
And today, we celebrate the first Sunday after Christmas. Look over at the window and you’ll see the Magi are still making their way to visit Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Feast of the Epiphany will be celebrated this coming Saturday, even though we as a congregation will not be in person to celebrate this event. Supposedly, the 6th of January is when he the Magi arrived.
I’m sorry folks — Their camels are not that fast. The Magi didn’t mount their camels and speed toward Bethlehem arriving on the Sixth of January or 13 days after the birth of Jesus. Scholars really believe that it took them almost two years to visit Jesus and by then he was two years old and back in Nazareth.
And while we speak of the Magi, were there really three or is that the story because there were three gifts that were brought.
But I digress. Enough whiplashes? Ok. Time waits for no one. Another great cliché and so next Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. HUH?
All of a sudden, we are witnessing John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, baptizing him, who is now in his early 30’s and so our whirlwind Liturgical year continues. For quite a few Sundays from then on we’ll see Jesus choosing his disciples and assembling his inner circle — the Apostles. The Liturgical colors will be green as we enter one of the Ordinary periods of the liturgical year. Ordinary only because of how the numbering of the Sundays is construed — First Sunday, Second Sunday, Third Sunday, and so forth.
Want some more whiplash? In 45 days we will observe ASH WEDNESDAY. Yes Lent begins and we wonder how in the world can we grasp this liturgical whirlwind we have every year. We’ll take down the green frontals and purple will be the color for that period of time as we put purple shrouds on the cross and crucifix and remove the shiny altar candles.
Gosh. We didn’t have a chance to enjoy Christ’s infancy before we’re already observing His early 30s and His ministry.
And you know what’s next…before you know it, we’ll be observing Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and so it continues.
So if you think your year, your life, has been a whirlwind and wondering what in the world happened in 2023, just think what happens to us as Christians every single year.
We no sooner celebrate the birth of Jesus that just months later we’re observing his death and his resurrection and his ascension. In our liturgical year, that will be 98 days or fourteen weeks.
So why mention this whirlwind of passage of time? Because I believe we should take a deep, deep breath tomorrow on January 1st.
Take your time beginning tomorrow to chill and reflect.
If you’re in a rush to make temporal resolutions like losing weight, quitting smoking, going to the YMCA more often, changing your diet, drinking less, so be it.
But take your time to make spiritual resolutions. It’s not hard to do. There are so many resources at your disposal to help you find your Spiritual Path in 2024.
Take advantage of resources like the Daily Office on our website. Go to the Landing Page and scroll down t the right. Click on that button and you’ll have Morning and Evening Prayer at your disposal. What a great way to reflect. And if your resolution over the years was to read more of the Bible, the daily office is just what the doctor ordered.
But wait there’s more. There are so many prayer and inspirational sites on and blogs online that you won’t run out of Spiritual fortifications.
But wait, there’s more. IF you’re not computer savvy and adverse to the internet, we provide hard copies of “Forward Movement’s Day by Day” as well as the publication “Our Daily Bread”.
But wait there’s more. Take out a piece of paper and pen and begin sketching out your Spiritual Autobiography. It’s an exercise we use in EfM but you don’t have to be enrolled in EfM to write out where you’ve been spiritually over the course of your life. Believe me. When you commit that spiritual timeline to paper, you’ll be amazed at the twists, turns, detours and roadblocks you’ve encountered over the years and what you would like to do next in your spiritual journey.
But wait. There’s more. I was honored to share with my EfM class the “Ignatian Daily Examen”. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits created this daily process that I have found to be a great wakeup call on a daily basis. I have copies of a quick handout of the Examen and how it works. Trust me, it’s not rocket science. It’s all about reflection, thanksgiving, and preparation for the next day. Do I use this resourcer every day? Not entirely, but there are so many elements within the Examen that makes me thank God for another day and what I need to do to be a better person, a better Christian, for the arrival of another day.
So as I prepare to end my reflection I want you to think about the passage of time. How may hours in a day? 24 or 1, 440 minutes. Can you take a few of those minutes to devote to God, yourself and focus on your spirituality? That’s what resolutions are all about.
Before you go to the YMCA, spend 10 minutes reflecting on your spiritual health and well-being. Guaranteed it will be a very Happy and Blessed New Year for you and spiritually uplifting.
Amen.
