Is it truly the Spirit that moves me toward my purpose, as nature itself reveals, or have I, in my stubbornness, resisted the Spirit’s guidance—just as frozen droplets in the early morning at “The Glenn” resist melting—while the Church listens in the Synod and CAPN: “The WTC: The Podcast”, Episode 003 – Notre Dame Lost, Catholic Charities for the Win!, calls on the Spirit– hoping to discern His voice, just as Simeon did when “He came in the Spirit“❓
Lectio Divina on “Spirit“
Reading I
The Spirit moves like the wind, unseen yet shaping all things, yet I wonder—but who will endure the day of his coming❓ When the Spirit stirs within me, does it refine like fire, or do I resist its purifying touch❓ In the frozen silence of early morning at “The Glenn,” the Spirit waits in the frost, whispering that even ice will melt in due time.
Responsorial Psalm
The Spirit has filled the universe with possibilities, moving all things toward their purpose. Even nature bears witness to this divine artistry—each tree bending toward the sun, each wave drawn by the moon. And yet, within the Church, we question, we wrestle, we wait for understanding. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! But do I truly recognize Him when the Spirit reveals His presence❓
Reading II
became priests to serve you and help you to grow spiritually. They are here to
satiate your hunger and to quench your thirst. Christ is both our food and our
drink. He is both the Bread of life and the dew of the Holy Spirit that
together nourish man’s deepest hopes and desires.”
The Spirit stirs in the depths of human suffering, just as Christ entered fully into our trials. When I spoke of the abuse at St. Mary’s Cathedral, I encountered not comfort, but rejection, as if acknowledging pain was more difficult than enduring it. Still, I know that he is able to help those who are being tested. Has the Spirit been guiding me even through this suffering, or am I simply lost in the storm❓
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia. The Spirit called Simeon to the temple, where he held salvation in his arms and spoke of light and glory. In the Synod’s listening, in the frozen beauty of morning, in my own searching heart, the Spirit still speaks. Yet do I truly listen❓ Will the Church, like Simeon, recognize what has been placed in its arms❓ A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
been listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Churches at this time.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
look to strengthen let us pray for religious liberty in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit amen
1:49
name of your son our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit with whom you live and Reign One God forever
1:56
and ever amen in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit amen my
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce-
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
The Spirit moves, calls, and reveals, always leading toward something new. As nature itself moves toward its fulfillment, does my heart move with it, or do I remain frozen in place❓ Do I, like Simeon, recognize the Spirit’s prompting, trusting that even now, something greater is being revealed-after all…
The Spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore, from the very heart of things, something new can always emerge: “Nature is nothing other than a certain kind of art, namely God’s art, impressed upon things, whereby those things are moved to a determinate end. It is as if a shipbuilder were able to give timbers the wherewithal to move themselves to take the form of a ship”.[52]
FROM PARAGRAPH 80 ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME