The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Samuel 1:24-28
1 Samuel 2:1,4-8
Luke 1:46-56

O come, King of all the nations,
source of your Church’s unity and faith:
save all mankind, your creation!


A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's first reading, Hannah offers her son Samuel back to God in gratitude for answering her prayers.

Today it is good to ask how often do we thank God in our daily lives for all the gifts and blessings he continually bestows on us. So often we can be distracted by the toils and troubles of living that we can forget to appreciate all that we have and all that we are.

Each one of us is unique, is a wonderful reflection of God's awesome power and grace. While it is good to strive and desire to improve our circumstances so that we can enjoy better physical and mental well-being, cultivating an attitude of Christian gratitude is fundamental to knowing God more dearly and being even more open to all the graces and experiences He wants to offer us.

So today regardless of what circumstance you find yourself in, try to accept where you are and what you are doing right now as being part of your personal journey, and find one thing (at least!) that you're grateful to God for -- then see what happens!

- Cliodhna Doyle
(clia at cliadoyle dot com)

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posted by joachim at 7:05 AM