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
"We
may not know what the New Year holds, but we know Who holds the New
Year."
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 Companion 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:
Print Saint's names & cut individually, put folded in a basket for
people to choose one. External Links:Saints
list #1 | Saints
list #2 |- Saints
list #3 | Saints
list #4 | Saints
List #5(ignore pop up
windows)
| Saints
list #6 | Patron
Saints information
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
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?
