What areas of the old are you needlessly holding on to? What new ones are you afraid to embrace because of their challenges? - Daily Reflections December 29,2014

WELCOME THE NEW

 

In June 2013, a new Superman movie hit the screens. It’s about the same old well-loved story of the superhero from the doomed planet Krypton, sent to Earth to escape the planet’s destruction. But it was “new,” as the storyline and the characters were much different from the usual. More so, the look of the favorite superhero underwent a major makeover: the bright blue-and-red suit became bland with a blacker hue, the familiar “S” at the cape was gone, and most of all, the red underwear with a yellow belt was retired.

         Today in the Gospel, we see a meeting of the old and the new. For many years, Simeon had been waiting in the Temple for the Anointed of the Lord. Mary brought the newborn Jesus to the old man Simeon for the customary ritual of the law. Simeon welcomed the newborn Jesus in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace; you have fulfilled your word. For my eyes have witnessed your saving deed…” This is a beautiful imagery for all of us — the past embracing the present, the old welcoming the new.

         There was a Baptist in a Catholic neighborhood who kept eating steak on a Friday of Lent. The Catholic neighbor managed to convert him to Catholicism. When he was baptized, the priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic.” The next year’s Friday of Lent, the priest visited the convert to see if he would abstain from meat. The priest saw him standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish.”

         While change can augur progress and growth, change can also be unsettling. It’s not always easy to welcome the new, especially when it means supplanting the old that we have grown accustomed to.

         Today, let’s make a life inventory. Are you stuck in some old bad habits? Are there new ones that you have been avoiding to make? Fr. Joel Jason

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What areas of the old are you needlessly holding on to? What new ones are you afraid to embrace because of their challenges?

 

Jesus, I place my past in Your mercy, my present to Your kindness, and my future to Your providence. Amen.