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Q. “What do you do when you realize you have been dozing?” (during prayer)
A. “If you doze off, don’t give it a second thought. A child in the arms of a parent drops off to sleep occasionally, but the
parent isn’t disturbed by that as long as the child is happily resting there and opens its eyes once in a while.”
- Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart
(If, during prayer, you keep falling asleep, it probably means that you are tired.)
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MAL 3:1-4; PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10; HEB 2:14-18
LK
2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in
the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in
the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people
Israel."
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
Band you yourself a sword will pierceB
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
USCCB Lectionary
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Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the
kingdom of heaven and everlasting life and happiness with our heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus has won for us a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit gives hope to all who place their trust in the promises of God. God never fails because his promises are true and he is faithful. The hope which God places within us through the gift of the Spirit enables us to persevere with confident trust in God even in the face of trails, setbacks, and
challenges that may come our way.
Is there anything holding you back from giving God your unqualified trust and submission to his will for your life? Allow the Lord Jesus to flood your heart with his peace, joy, and love. And offer to God everything you have and desire - your life, family, friends, health, honor, wealth, and future.
If you seek his kingdom first he will give you everything you need to know, love, and serve him now and enjoy him forever.
"Lord Jesus, you are my hope and my life. May I never cease to place all my trust in you. Fill me with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly point others to your saving presence and words of
eternal life."
- from dailyscripture.net
Paperback, Kindle
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God and I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd ed.) ____________ Chapter 2: Self (excerpts) - three interactive levels of human nature -
Organism, here, refers to the physical body
and its physiological operations, which we share in common with other mammals and life forms.
Psyche refers to the level of animal consciousness we share with primates and other mammals (and birds and reptiles, to a lesser extent).
Spirit is a level distinctive to humans, operating through organism and psyche and in its own unique realm as well. Spiritual consciousness enables us to not only assess and act upon information presented by the organism and its senses, or the psyche and its images and emotions, but to be conscious of ourselves as we do so, and formulate abstract concepts from this information in the
interest of understanding and communication. Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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