Saturday, January 31, 2009

Monday, February 2, 2009

Presentation of the Lord in the Temple

From A Year With Blessed James Alberione, 
Compiled by J. Maurus

     When Mary presented the Baby in the Temple, Simeon contemplated him, recognized him as Messiah and with immense gratitude exclaimed:  "Now, Lord, you have kept your promise, and you may let your servant go in peace.  With my own eyes I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples."
     And speaking to Mary, he said:  "This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel, he will be a sign from God which many people will speak against and so reveal their secret thoughts.  And sorrow like a sharp sword will break your own heart" (Lk 2:34-35).
     The prophetess Anna, pious and assiduous in the Temple, echoed Simeon:  she spoke of this Baby, "to all those who were expecting the redemption of Israel."
     Jesus came for the Redemption.  This means that all the prophecies regarding the passion, the agony, the betrayal, the scourging, the condemnation, the crucifixion, the painful death refer to this Child.
     And the mother would share his sufferings.  The measure of her sufferings was the measure of her love for her Son and God.

From Saint and Thought For Every Day, 
by Blessed James Alberione

Presentation of the Lord
     Mary, although not bound, presented her Son, Jesus, in the temple at Jerusalem and perfectly fulfilled the requirements of Mosaic law for purification.
     Let us imitate the obedience and humility of the Mother of God.

Encounter with Christ
     Live in expectancy.  Await the coming of Jesus so that He may enrich us!  We are like Simeon who implored the Lord unceasingly to come.  When Mary and Joseph reached the temple one morning, carrying the Child Jesus, the saintly old man recognized in them, through interior inspiration, the parents of the Redeemer.  They were simply dressed, and they had come like all the others to make their purification offering.  Taking the Child from their arms, Simeon raised Him to heaven, and he said the "Nunc dimittis...."  "Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace...!"  Simeon shows us the way of preparing for the coming of the Messiah.  He lived a God-fearing life, certain that before his death he would see the salvation of Israel.  Jesus will come and the priest, elevating the Host, will say:  "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the  world,"  And we, raising our eyes to gaze on Him whom we have expected, will respond:  "This is the awaited One, the Lord, the rich One, the Master, the Light!"  Let us keep ourselves in these dispositions of suppliant expectancy.

What Strikes Me Most Today

What strikes me most today is the term "suppliant expectancy."  The American Heritage Dictionary defines suppliant as "asking humbly and earnestly; beseeching."  I always looked at the role of Simeon as being one to point out to us that Jesus is the awaited Messiah.  I like the thought of Simeon being a model for us of "suppliant expectancy."  Simeon had faith that God would keep His word and not call Simeon from this life until he saw the Messiah himself, yet he still prayed humbly and earnestly for this day to arrive.  We know Jesus is truly present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist, and we will see Him face to face when He returns in Glory or at our Judgment.  With this knowledge, I like the idea of imitating Simeon and keeping ourselves in these "dispositions of suppliant expectancy," a new phrase and a new way of thinking about Simeon!

What strikes you most today?  Please click on "COMMENTS" below to share your thoughts.
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Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!