We begin this week a three- part series on the Canticle of Simeon. The Canticle is included for night prayer each night. Let us begin.
“Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled” (Luke 2:29-30)
This prayer uttered by Simeon as Jesus was presented in the temple, should ring in our ears at the end of each day, for we do not know the day nor the hour of our death. Am I a peaceful person? Am I at peace with myself? When I receive the Eucharist, do I accept the peace that enters my heart? Do I extend that peace to others?
This weekend, we celebrate the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The Lord, Jesus, the Christ is the Prince of Peace. In the Prayer after the Offering, the priest prays: “As we offer you, O Lord, the sacrifice by which the human race is reconciled to you, we humbly pray that your Son himself may bestow on all nations the gifts of unity and peace. Through Christ our Lord.” Let us pray for peace in Israel, the Ukraine, for peace in our families and our community where there is division.
A portion of first reading from Ezekiel 34:15 states, “I myself will give them rest, says the Lord God”. Let us find time to rest in the Lord each day especially at the end of the day and through the night. Let us not go to our place of rest with resentment, hurt, anxiety, or fear. Peaceful sleep is a true blessing from the Lord. Ask St. Joseph’s help for a peaceful sleep. When I remember to ask for his intercession, I sleep better.
The Communion Antiphon reads, “The Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will bless his people with peace”. (Psalm 29 (28):10-11) We are a Eucharistic people, truly blest by God to live in a country where we have freedom to worship publicly our faith. How blest we are!
The second verse of “Take and Eat” by Michael Joncas reminds us of Christ’s promise, “I am the way that leads the exile home; I am the truth that sets the captive free; I am the life that raises up the dead; I am your peace, true peace my gift to you.” We find in the Eucharistic host, the peace that the world cannot give. Let the Eucharistic presence be known to the whole world. Amen