6th day within the Octave of Christmas
1 Jn 2:12-17
Lk 2:36-40
You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world. The love of the Father cannot be in any man who loves the world, because nothing the world has to offer — the sensual body, the lustful eye, pride in possessions — could ever come from the Father but only from the world; and the world, with all it craves for, is coming to an end; but anyone who does the will of God remains for ever.
Last Christmas, I bought a contemporary translation of the Holy Bible called THE MESSAGE. It allows one to read scripture in modern day language and expressions. Though the sentences are rarely as poetically beautiful as The New American Bible, The Universalis and others, I’ve found it helpful for writing reflections, and when I’m not sure what exactly is being said. But even as easy as it is to understand, I wasn’t reading it like I thought I would. It was ‘added’ to my collection of bibles. I get a new bible for myself to ‘mark up’ in different seasons in my life, but I was still using my Great Adventure Bible.
About five weeks ago during Adoration, I prayed, asking God what I should read next during my hour or should I just journal. You see, I have tried many times to sit in quiet contemplation and silence, but that is difficult for me. I move too much, can’t get comfortable and my mind wanders and I realize I’m not ‘where I am’. It’s almost that I am too noisy in my own head and I can’t seem to consistently shut my mind off. In over 20 years of Adoration, I’ve been able to sit quietly and actually stay present to the moment twice. Only twice. So I read and journal. I love reading Catholic books, Catholic authors, but I felt a nudge to ask God what He wanted of me at Adoration. The answer was simple, ‘read my words’. And with that, I realized why I purchased THE MESSAGE a year ago!
As of just a few hours ago, I am 12 chapters into Exodus! It is such an easy understanding and flow in reading, and because of that I wanted to share from 1 Jn 2:15-17 (in italics above):
Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world – wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important – has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out – but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
The above translation spoke to me in a clearer way and made it easier for me to contemplate, to relate it to myself, “…and all it’s wanting, wanting, wanting….” I can, sadly, easily see myself in those words because in this world, I do want things, especially when I see that others have (or seem to have) – comfort, ease, fun, exotic vacations and lots of stuff to make my life convenient, prettier, and the common want of being seen as someone important, someone ‘in the know’, someone who is a ‘go-to person’, someone who…
Yikes, how can I want all that when I know that God is, well, God? And all those things put my focus 100% on myself, puts me at the centre of my life. I don’t want to be my priority, I don’t want to be at the centre. I know that I would make a total mess of my life and lose out on my heart’s greatest desire — eternity with Christ, the Saints and Angels with God in the glorious heaven He has prepared for me.
So, my plan to read through the Bible translation of The Message, is a way that I (hope) will help me to know Him more deeply. My prayer is that in reading, I will learn how to better surrender to His plan for my life on a daily/hourly basis by getting to know Him and so many who have come before me, knowing they are rooting for me and helping to guide me from the literal feet of Christ in Heaven.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Gina Ulicny)
Prayer: Lord God, I ask again for Your grace to see what you want me to see. To seek only You and Your answers, and not seek after my feelings, which only allow me to fall into the traps of the enemy.
Thanksgiving: Father God, I truly am in utter awe of the perfection that You are and that you share with me, with this world. Thank you for the unending sprinkles and streams of grace and favour that punctuate my day and our world. Thank You for Your nudging and never leaving me.
OXYGEN 
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