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The Christmas Cycle
things at the close of day, in the spirit of faith and in the words of the holy liturgy, we say with
deep gratitude: “Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, . . . because my eyes have seen
Thy salvation.”
The day has brought us the grace, love, help, and mercy of our God and Savior. “To them
that love God, all things work together unto good” (Rom 8:28). Even our many failures,
the indeliberate and half-deliberate faults, even sins for which we have immediately been
sorry, which we hate, which we desire never to commit again, may become an occasion of
grace for us, a way of knowing ourselves, accusing ourselves, humiliating ourselves, and
making us desire to live in complete resignation to God’s holy will. Today “my eyes have
seen Thy salvation.”
The evening of our life is ever drawing nearer. The years of our childhood, adolescence,
middle age, and old age all pass before us. Looking back, we see stains, sins, and
faults as numerous as the sands on the seashore. Then we glance upward. In His infinite
mercy and love we see the Lord exchanging our stained robe for the immaculate garment
of salvation. From the first grace of baptism until the last grace we shall ever receive,
our life is nothing but a work of salvation and grace from the Lord. Our sinfulness and
weakness, our unfaithfulness and unworthiness, He has endured with divine patience
and fatherly mercy. Though we were unworthy, yet He has led us through many dangers
and pitfalls into which we surely would have fallen without His guidance and assistance.
He has given us as a possession the many prayers, examples, and merits of the saints in
heaven and on earth. He has placed over us a guardian to accompany us and lead us in
the way of salvation. With grateful hearts we look back at our life and, thanking Him, see
the salvation which He has made possible for us. Only the mercy of God has kept us from
being eternally lost. Our prayer is a Miserere, a call for mercy and grace. But the Miserere
enters into the joyful prayer of Simeon: “Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant . . . in peace,
because my eyes have seen Thy salvation.”
“My eyes have seen Thy salvation.” Yes, Lord, teach us to see Thy salvation, Thy merciful, loving,
holy dealing with us and in us. Heal us from the habit of looking at ourselves alone, at our deeds
and troubles and sufferings, and cure us of our unworthiness. Help us in the battle against sin,
and grant us the grace ever to increase in all virtue. Grant that our eyes may see our salvation,
You, our Redeemer.
Lord, give us the spirit of Thy great apostle Paul. He was tempted by human desires even
more than we are. His trials and troubles were numerous and great, but he always turned
to Thee, the Redeemer. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man is corrupted,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For that which is at present momentary
and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of
glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”
(2 Cor 4:16–18).
Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, the true light who enlightenest every man that cometh into this world,
pour forth Thy blessing upon these waxen candles and sanctify them with the light of Thy
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