Lord,
the words from today’s Gospel
catch my attention:

“It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit…”
“Prompted by the Spirit, he came to the Temple…”

Simeon did not act on impulse.
He lived attentively—
listening,
waiting,
responding.

Something stirs within me.

A desire to live more intentionally.
To want a life
that is more than performative,
more than task-centered.

As I reflect on the characters
who appear in the Christmas story,
I find myself questioning my own way of living.

John the Baptist was a messenger.
Elizabeth was a messenger.
The wise men were messengers.
Simeon was a messenger.

Each encountered You.
Each carried a message
that shaped the lives of others.

And I ask myself honestly—
what about me?

Am I a messenger with a message?
Or am I curating moments,
sharing positivity,
presenting a version of life
that is easy to consume
but rarely asks anything of others?

Lord,
teach me to be attentive to Your Spirit,
to be authentic.

Allow my life to speak,
one person to another.
No doom-scrolling.
Just heart-to-heart conversations
and old-fashioned witnessing.

5th Day within the Octave of Christmas