Following our Saint of the Day's burial, many miracles were attributed to him: The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the sick were healed. 🙌
December 30, 2024
Dear John,
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As we approach the New Year, we invite you to join us for five days of video reflections on prayer that will put us in good stead in 2025!
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In today's video, Father Greg Friedman, OFM, explains that there are as many ways to pray as there are individual human beings.Click here to watch it. And know that we at Franciscan Media are praying for you!
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You say you’re not familiar with today’s saint? Chances are you aren’t—unless you’re especially informed about Benedictine bishops who established monasteries in medieval England.
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Born in the seventh century of royal blood, Egwin entered a monastery, and was enthusiastically received by royalty, clergy, and the people as the bishop of Worcester, England. As a bishop he was known as a protector of orphans and the widowed and a fair judge. Who could argue with that?
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His popularity didn’t hold up among members of the clergy, however. They saw him as overly strict, while he felt he was simply trying to correct abuses and impose appropriate disciplines. Bitter resentments arose, and Egwin made his way to Rome to present his case to Pope Constantine. The case against Egwin was examined and annulled.
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Upon his return to England, Egwin founded Evesham Abbey, which became one of the great Benedictine houses of medieval England. It was dedicated to Mary, who had reportedly made it known to Egwin just where a church should be built in her honor.
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Egwin died at the abbey on December 30, 717. Following his burial many miracles were attributed to him: The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the sick were healed.
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Reflection
Correcting abuses and faults is never an easy job, not even for a bishop. Egwin attempted to correct and build up the clergy in his diocese and it earned him the wrath of his priests. When we are called to correct someone or some group, plan on opposition, but also know that it might be the right thing to do.
As Francis grew older, he regretted the harsh treatment he had given “Brother Ass” all through his life. Before his conversion he had pampered and spoiled his body, and afterward he had ignored and taken Brother Ass for granted. They were partners, really, and should have supported one another on the Journey. Besides, the Spirit dwelled in his body, and through his own fault, the dwelling place was shoddy. Not that the Holy Spirit minded, but Francis felt embarrassed by the poor welcome he was forced to give.
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Francis no longer saw his body as something apart from him. He was his body; the spirit and body were one. He was one person. He was a spirit-filled man. That he had earlier seen so great a cleavage between body and spirit bothered him, and he wondered why it had taken him so long to see that even his body had been made spirit by the Incarnation of God. Jesus was God enfleshed, and all of creation was now infused with the Spirit by the touch of God’s only Son.
Depending on where you live in the country, you might have forested areas near you, perhaps with trails or places to camp out. Even if you don’t, though, simply imagining an expanse of trees, ridges, and streams can be a calm-inducing exercise. The quiet nobility of the trees, the songs and sounds of the forest, and the sensation of being surrounded by a pulsing lifeforce all combine for what can be a sublime spiritual experience, if we open ourselves up to it.
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Pray
God, creator of the redwoods, oaks, pines, and palms, We ask you to breath in us your healing spiritual oxygen, Much as your leafy creations supply us with actual oxygen. An acorn and the Amazon: Each contains the sacred potential for life. Help us to remember that a tree is like a person, seemingly individual, But at its roots—and ours—the holy truth is that it is inseparable from the forest, As we are inseparable from each other in the body of Christ. May this prayer float up to you in the same way that the sweet songs of the birds do every day up in the boughs of trees.
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Act
If you can make it to a forested area today, allow yourself to soak in the oxygen and calm that are in abundance. If you aren’t near a woodland or the weather isn’t cooperating, consider donating to an environmental cause that protects forests, or, if you are in more of a meditative mood, find an image online of a tree that you find beautiful, and use it as inspiration in your prayer life.
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Today's Pause+Pray was written by Daniel Imwalle. Learn more here!
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