Daily Reflection for Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Today we off you Bill Bradbury’s final reflection. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for Bill’s +20 years of dedication to St. Monica’s Daily Scripture Reflections and our affection for him. We invite you to send Bill a message via the “Send a comment” link at the bottom of the page.
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners!
We encourage you to reflect on Thursday’s readings at this link: CLICK HERE
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-18a (alternate Rom. 12:9-16)
Responsorial: Isaiah 12:2-3,4bcd 5-6
Gospel: Luke 1:39-56
Our Reflection on Tuesday’s Reading:
God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. Isaiah 12:3
Over the years I’ve reflected on these readings, but they never felt so personal as they do this time. After all, what do I have in common with Mary . . . a Jewish teen who had a visit from an angel with an incredible message that would transform her life . . . and an 83-year-old man in 2022 USA who’s surprised by how aging is transforming my life! I was tempted to focus on the alternate reading, Romans 12:9, a beautiful outline for peaceful coexistence. But the words of Isaiah span generations and synthesize Mary’s celebration: We can believe in the reality of God’s love for us. We can be confident and unafraid with the Lord as our Savior.
I recognized Mary’s celebration is mine as well. God has done wonderous things for me, giving me strength, guidance, and mercy. These things often came to me through the “angels” around me. Serendipitous encounters led to spiritual growth and opportunities to become a better person . . . supportive pastors and a spiritual director, Sr. Antoinette Purcell OSB, all guided my path in ministries . . . faith community became family. I have so much to feel grateful for, and the Magnificat expresses that gratitude for me, for the past and my present life.
One of the joys of the past 20 years has been writing for the reflection ministry. I have enjoyed the time with Scripture, the opportunities to dig deeper, and to let the Spirit talk to me through The Word. Hours faded away when engaged with friends/writers such as Jean Galanti, Anne Corcoran and the late Don Cooney as we sought words that were true to Scripture and to our faith traditions.
It was a special pleasure to receive messages from readers, and to correspond with many of you. But as Parkinson’s progressed, I’ve found it harder to type, to come up with new thoughts, and to respond to your messages. I’ve relied more on rewriting old reflections. The time has come to pass the torch, to let new writers share their voices.
This ministry started with St. Monica’s business manager, Jim Welter, to provide parishioners a daily encounter with Scripture. He soon enlisted help, and the ministry grew. Imagine our surprise to get comments from Fr. Christy in Sri Lanka, part of a reader-network around the world! The current writing team of diverse ages and backgrounds is beyond what Jim, Michelle Vander Missen, and I envisioned 20+ years ago. Its future is in good hands, those of God Himself. For the ministry and myself as I walk this stage of my life, “I am confident and unafraid.”
Thank you for your loyal readership, dear friends.
Peace and joy to all of you,
Bill Bradbury