Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Feast of St. Nicholas
December 6, 2016
Today’s Thought from Scripture: Isaiah 6:6-8
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!
Today is the feast day St. Nicolas of Myra, the fourth-century Greek bishop and “wonder worker” who inspired the story of Santa Claus. As bishop, he no doubt had many visible public duties, but he is not remembered for his inspired homilies or administrative gifts. For most of us, he is remembered for his private generosity, making it possible for one poor man’s daughters to be well and decently wed.
In the Scripture reading for today, we witness the dramatic (and not a little painful) commissioning of the prophet Isaiah. Both men (St. Nicholas and Isaiah) were “iceberg saints,” who possessed hidden virtues and strengths that helped them to fulfill their public calling.
Do your insides match your outsides? Where is God calling you to grow?
Father God,
give me your heart for the world.
Help me, like St. Nicholas,
show love and compassion
for the children who cross my path,
and to respond to their needs with a generous heart.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
To read the full readings for today, click here.
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