The
Light of the World
~ William Holman Hunt (1827 - 1910)
"I
am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12
On
Christmas Day 1939, King George VI of England gave a brief radio address
to his troubled nation. England was already at war with Germany. Soon
all of Europe would be plunged into the horror of brutal, unrestrained
warfare. Hoping to calm the troubled hearts of his countrymen, the king
offered words of encouragement as the storm clouds gathered overhead. He
ended his remarks by quoting a hitherto unknown poem by Louise Haskins,
It has since become known around the world:
I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,
`Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied,
`Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the
Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.'
~ Miss Minnie Louise Haskins (1875-1957) ~
a lecturer at the London School of Economics, who had written
these words as the introduction to a poem called 'The Desert' in 1908
Sacred
Mystery, waiting on the threshold of this new year,
you open the gates and beckon to me:
"Come! Come!
Be not wary of what awaits you
as you enter the unknown terrain,
be not doubtful of your ability
to grow from its joys and sorrows.
For I am with you.
I will be your Guide.
I will be your Protector.
You will never be alone."
Guardian of this new year,
I set aside my fears, worries, concerns,
I open my life to mystery, to beauty,
to hospitality, to questions,
to the endless opportunity
of discovering you in my relationships,
and to all the silent wisps of wonder
that will draw me to your heart.
I welcome your unfailing Presence
and walk with hope into this new year.
Our Father in Heaven, we praise and thank You for Your faithfulness that
is seeing us on into this brand new year. Help us to take courage for
the journey by reflecting on your faithfulness in the past - not only to
us but more importantly to all who have followed You down through the
ages.
As there has not failed one single promise of Yours in the past,
we have every
reason to trust You for the future. We praise and thank You. In Jesus' precious Name. Amen.
"Courage For The Future"
"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"
Joshua 1:9
Loving
God, bless this new year with your presence. As I look at the new
calendar, each of its days waiting to be filled, I wonder what it will
bring in terms of new relationships, family, friends, sickness, work,
play, prayer and devotion. Help me to see your loving care in all that
happens day by day. Amen. - Jean Royer
Prayer
of John Paul II for a New Year: (composed for the Jubilee year - and
every year thereafter)
Blessed are you, Lord, Father in heaven, who, in your infinite mercy,
stooped down to us in our distress and gave us Jesus, your Son, born of
a woman, to be our Saviour and friend, our brother and Redeemer.
We thank you, good Father, for the gift of this New Year; make it a time
of favour for us, the year of a great return to the Father's house,
where, full of love, you await your straying children to embrace them in
your forgiveness and welcome them to your table, in their festive
garments. We praise you, Father, forever!
Father most merciful, during this Holy Year may our love for you and for
our neighbour grow ever stronger: may Christ's disciples promote justice
and peace; may they proclaim the Good News to the poor, and may the
Church our Mother direct her love especially to the little ones and the
neglected. We praise you, Father, forever!
Father of Justice, may the Great Jubilee, and the years following, be
the fitting time for all Catholics to rediscover the joy of living by
your word and obeying your will; may they know the goodness of fraternal
communion, as they break bread together and praise you in hymns and
inspired songs. We praise you, Father, forever!
Father, rich in mercy, may this year be a time of openness, of dialogue
and encounter among all who believe in Christ and with the followers of
other religions: in your immense love, be bountiful in mercy to all. We
praise you, Father, forever!
O God, Almighty Father, as we make our way to you, our ultimate destiny,
may all your children experience the gentle company of Mary, most holy,
image of purest love, whom you chose to be Mother of Christ and Mother
of the Church.
We praise you, Father, forever!
To you, Father of life, eternal source of all that is, highest good and
everlasting light, be honour and glory, praise and thanksgiving, with
the Son and with the Spirit, for ages unending. Amen.
Choosing
a Saint for the New Year
This
explanation is taken from the Divine Mercy Diary where then Sister, now
Saint Faustina explains further about the custom of picking a saint. Many believe that there are special Graces with
this.
NEW YEAR 1935 "Jesus likes to intervene in the smallest
details of our life and He often fulfills secret wishes of mine that I
sometimes hide from Him, although I know that from Him nothing can be
hidden.
There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Years' Day, special
Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during
meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic
Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But,
hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else
but that. When we came to refectory for Breakfast, we blessed
ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy
cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I
took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify
myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voce in my soul;
I am your patron. Read. I looked at once at the inscription and
read, "Patron for the Year 1935 - the Most Blessed
Eucharist" My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped
quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the
Blessed Sacrament, where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly
admonished me that I should be at that moment together with the sisters. I
went immediately in obedience to the rule." Suggestion:
Put Saint's names on folded papers in a basket for people to choose one. Links ~
List of Saints #1 ~
List of Saints ~2 - List
of Saints #3
AULD
LANG SYNE
The song, "Auld Lang Syne," playing in the background, is sung
at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in
the world to bring in the new year. At least partially written by Robert
Burns in the 1700's, it was first published in 1796 after Burns' death.
Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns
to produce the modern rendition. An old Scottish tune, "Auld Lang
Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply,
"the good old days."
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here's a hand, my trusty friend
And gie's a hand o' thine
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
More
on Auld Lang Syne & related Link
automatically opens in a new window so minimise
this page after clicking, so you get the sound.
Facing the New Year [NEW YEAR’S DAY] (1)
"LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP…" LUKE 5:4 (NIV)
After fishing all night with not even a mackerel to show for it, Jesus tells His disciples, ‘Launch out into the deep…’ Why? Because when you want what you don’t have, you’ve got to risk going where you haven’t been yet!
A visit to The World Trade Centre would help set your priorities in order this year. Many who survived the attacks changed careers immediately afterwards. Initially they’d taken the job for a lucrative paycheque. But when the world’s tallest buildings fell, some of the world’s best-paid workers realised how fickle it all can be. So they went home, wept, hugged their families, re-evaluated their lives and realised that you can have half as much, yet be ten times better off in every way. Sad, isn’t it, that it takes tragedy to get us there?
Know what’s even sadder? To be given chance after chance and still not ‘get it’. Don’t wait until the bottom falls out before you count the cost of what you’re living for. The Bible says, ‘…make every minute count…find out what the Lord wants you to do’ (Ephesians 5:16-17 CEV). Did you get that? Make sure that what you want is what God wants for you. Once stretched by a God-given vision, you never snap back into your original shape again.
As you face another year, stop and take stock; compare the price tag on God’s will for your life against what you’re already spending; then compare the rewards of both. Once you see beyond where you are – you’ll never look back.
Facing
the New Year (2)
"LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP." LUKE 5:4 (NIV)
Mediocrity is just the best of the worst and the worst of the best. Is that what you want? No? Then be willing to forfeit the safety of being what you are, in order to become what God wants you to be. Helen Keller said, ‘Security is a myth. The reason we don’t experience it is because it doesn’t exist. Avoiding danger or failure is no safer in the long run than out right risk. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.’ Smart lady, eh? She also said, ‘The only thing that’s worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.’
The danger in not wanting much is that you usually get it. So ask yourself, ‘What do I want this year that’s worth risking everything for? Like 30 minutes’ sleep each morning in order to pray, read my Bible and work on my relationship with God? To pursue that degree? Or that business opportunity? To work on my marriage? To break that destructive habit?’
‘Launching
out’ means:
(1) setting goals, establishing a plan to reach them, and becoming
accountable
(2) staying tuned to God’s ‘leadings’ in your life
(3) confronting old fears and discovering the incredible rewards on the
other side of them
(4) looking in the mirror and respecting what you’re becoming
(5) devoting your life to something greater than yourself, and being
blessed in doing it
(6) having a ‘Thou art with me’ attitude and attempting great things
for God. So, are you ready to launch out this year?
