Every day is a new beginning.

At the end of each day a useful exercise is take a little time to reflect on the day recalling first the unfulfilled plans, those things which I thought that I would do and for whatever reason I failed to do. According to Saint Ignatius these are the negative happenings of the day. After calling them to mind it is good to hand them over to the Lord in prayer. And then inspired by the Holy Spirit call to mind the positive events of the day those things which have brought you sunshine and joy in your life. This is an exercise best done last thing at night so we can always sleep knowing that our day will also bring us happiness and peace. Dwelling on the negative will keep you awake all night; praising God for the joy of the day will give restful sleep and beautiful dreams.

This weekend we are celebrating the TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS, the symbol of Christ’s Death and his Easter mystery. Through the Cross Jesus the whole of creation including humanity has been lifted to himself. We are redeemed by his holy cross giving us the assurance of life with Jesus now and in the future. Every day is a new beginning with the Lord who will help us to overcome our failures and weakness, and much more he walks with us helping us to carry our own cross.

With every blessing, Canon Bill

 

A poem: New Every Morning. By Susan Coolidge

Every day is a fresh beginning,

Every morn is the world made new.

You who are weary of sorrow and sinning,

Here is a beautiful hope for you, -

A hope for me and a hope for you.

 

All the past things are past and over;

The tasks are done and the tears are shed.

Yesterday’s errors let yesterday cover;

Yesterday’s wounds, which smarted and bled,

Are healed with the healing which night has shed.

 

Yesterday now is a part of forever,

Bound up in a sheaf, which God holds tight,

With glad days, and sad days, and bad days, which

never

Shall visit us more with their bloom and their blight

Their fulness of sunshine of sorrowful night.

 

Let them go, since we cannot re-live them,

Cannot undo and cannot atone;

God in his mercy receive, forgive them!

Only the new days are our own;

To-day is ours, and to-day alone

 

Here are the skies all burnished brightly,

Here is the spent earth all re-born,

Here are the tired limbs springing lightly

To face the sun and to share with the morn

In the chrism of dew and the cool of dawn.

 

Every day is a fresh beginning.

Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain,

And, spite of old sorrow and older sinning,

And puzzles forecasted and possible pain,

Take heart with the day, and begin again