If you're an eager beaver and want to check up on what we WOULD have done, the readings for Sunday are here ... and St. Sophronius (a bishop from olden days) has this to say about the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord:
(By way of context, this Sunday we will process into church with lighted candles to celebrate the entrance of Jesus into the Temple with his parents. Then we will undergo that great Catholic tradition, the Blessing of the Throats in Honor of St. Blase. But I digress ... back to St. Sophronius -- )
In honor of the divine mystery that we celebrate today, let us all hasten to meet Christ. Everyone should be eager to join the procession and to carry a light.
Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor of the one who comes to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ.
The Mother of God, the most pure Virgin, carried the true light in her arms and brought him to those who lay in darkness. We too should carry a light for all to see and reflect the radiance of the true light as we hasten to meet him.
The light has come and has shone upon a world enveloped in shadows; the Dayspring from on high has visited us and given light to those who lived in darkness. This, then, is our feast, and we join in procession with lighted candles to reveal the light that has shone upon us and the glory that is yet to come to us through him. So let us hasten all together to meet our God.
The true light has come, the light that enlightens every man who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and made radiant by this light. Let all of us share in its splendor, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the aged Simeon the light whose brilliance is eternal. Rejoicing with Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the light, who sent the true light to dispel the darkness and to give us all a share in his splendor.
So: for the rest of this week, if you ever get back to school and I ever go back to work in my office, let's be aware of the ways we can bring the light of Jesus' love and hope to those around us. And come to think of it, maybe we should look for that opportunity when we're NOT back at school, and have the opportunity to show that love and care to the family members we don't see a whole lot on a normal day.
Be safe and warm today -- I'll see you on Sunday for 5 PM Adoration and 6 PM Life Teen Mass!
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