“Now You Can Let Your Servant Go in Peace.” It appears that Simeon is in a good mood. He offers God a “happy” prayer from someone very content and grateful. This is not the typical prayer that would come out of our mouths. Usually, we ask God to help us with a difficulty or an...

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Something Big Happens Around Eucharistic Table. One summer when I was in the seminary, I was sent to the Institut Catholique in Paris to learn French. On the first morning, students gathered in a large auditorium, and there, we were divided into smaller class units. Let me introduce to you the nationalities of my classmates....

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Luck or Gift. Does it ever happen that once in a while, you get lucky, and something great happens? Paul, in his letter this week, does not call it luck. He tells us it is because of the Spirit that we are able to do great things. Jeanne Jordan was 47 years old when she...

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How John the Baptist and Jesus Saves: Stoop Down and Untie Sandal Straps. How does John the Baptist baptize? I picture myself arriving in the Jordan with a large crowd, and there I see him for the first time knee deep in the water, wearing camel hair and a leather belt. He looks like a...

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Guiding lights Can Only Work in the Dark. I went fly-fishing with my friend in his boat. When it got dark, he asked me to take the wheel and return to the harbor. I asked him where the harbor was. He told me to follow the blinking red light in the far distance. After we tied up...

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The School of Mary. When I graduated from Princeton, I showed my mother the diploma. She was not impressed. She retorted, “I hope you do not turn into one of those smart, no-it-all.” Why would my mother say something like that on the day of my graduation? Years before I went to Princeton, I was...

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Players, Not Fans. What is the first thing you notice when Jesus is born? Accessibility. To put this in perspective, I love to fly fish at Cape Cod. Barnstable Harbor is a favorite spot. It is miles long with very little access to the water. There are “No Parking” signs on every street: “Keep Out,”...

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Consecrated Means Belonging. I love familiarity. That is why I am not fond of upgrades. I cannot even turn on the TV. I grabbed the remote and said, “See, this does not work.” Someone retorted, “Because that is the remote to turn on the AC.” I was the last person to have a flip phone....

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