Now I am sending my messenger—he will prepare the way before me; And the Lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire—see, he is coming! says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1
I’m going to be honest, the dark still makes me uncomfortable at times. The discomfort arises when I’ve tried to navigate an unfamiliar room looking for a light switch. I’ve known the hyper-sensitive listening while camping of trying to guess how close an animal actually is to the tent. While I don’t consider myself as being afraid of the dark, I certainly appreciate the light. Today we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In our beautiful tradition, we recognize today also as Candlemas—the celebration of Christ the Light coming into the darkness of this world. In addition to this beautiful feast, we are also to show our love, appreciation, and admiration for those who have offered themselves to be living candles to this world.
Today we also celebrate the world day for consecrated life. Women and men in our lives have chosen to set their hearts in radical ways upon the Lord. They’ve attuned themselves to His overwhelming desire to save the world. They’ve permitted themselves to become the manifestation of holiness. Those who have responded to the calling to consecrated life haven’t forfeited the desires for intimacy, affection, legacy, and generativity. They, like Simeon and Anna, have courageously awaited the Lord to satisfy those desires beyond their imagination.
Has the Lord called you to belong to Him in a particular way in consecrated life?
Father, thank you for the women and men who have chosen to be lights in the darkness of this life.
Today’s Reflection is by:
Fr. Chuck Dornquast
Did you know...
Fr. Chuck Dornquast is a son of St. Joseph Parish in Zephyrhills. After graduating from Zephyrhills High School he entered the seminary where he would spend the next 9 years. While in seminary he spent time at many of our diocesan parishes and discovered more and more the heart of Christ the High Priest within him. After ordination, he spent his first 4 years of priesthood as the associate pastor of St. Lawrence in Tampa. He currently serves the Diocese of St. Petersburg as the Director of Vocations.
