I took this photo from Saint Colman’s Church, Macroom, Co.Cork overlooking the main bridge coming into the town
On This Day
On December 12th 1964 Kenya became a republic on the first anniversary of its independence from Britain
On December 12th 2015 the COP21 climate change summit in Paris reaches a deal between 195 countries to limit the rise in the global average temperature to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels
On December 12th 2019 the British General Election was won by Boris Johnson Conservative Party in landslide win with 80 seat majority.
Birthdays Today
Dionne Warwick (Singer) is 82
Jennifer Connelly (Actress) is 52
Miles Nazaire (Reality Star) is 28
If he was alive it would have been Frank Sinatra’s birthday today
Saint For Today
Today Dec 12th is the Feast Day of Saint Jane Frances de Chantel. She was happily married but her husband died tragically. She would later set up a religious community of women who would visit the sick and the poor. She spoke about living life with love.
Significance Of Today
Today is National Poinsettia Day and is a day to celebrate the ever popular red flower used at Christmas time. When looking at a Poinsettia, all we can think of is “The Poinsettia is to Christmas like a pumpkin is to Halloween”. It’s beautiful red flowers always stand out and will last right through Christmas and right into the start of the New Year. But it hates draughts and cold and if it experiences one of these, the plant simply gives up and the leaves will fall.
Interesting Quote For Today
“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” –E.B.White
Did You Know
Did you know that just over 50% of people start their Christmas shopping 2-3 months before Christmas and 25% don’t get started until December.
Video for the Week
Last week we celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas and here is the video to go with it
Here is my Thought for the Week:
‘God is a circle whose centre is everywhere.’ ~Timaeus of Locris
The circle is a universal and sacred symbol with many meanings. It represents eternity, timelessness, totality, wholeness and God. It is a symbol of unity. It is also the symbol of infinity. It does not have a beginning or end nor does it have sides or a corner. No other shape is as unique or as complete as a circle.
In ancient culture the yin and yang symbol is represented as a circle divided into two equal parts by a curved line. One side represents the yang (masculine) and the other is the yin (feminine). Both are beautifully balanced and represent harmony and balance. When there is too much of one, the circle becomes out of balance. The invitation is to constantly find the balance and harmony in life as best we can.
For thousands of years the circle represents God. God is the circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference in nowhere. This ties in with our expanding universe. We know our planets circle around the sun and we know that the moon circles around our planet earth every month. We are surrounded by the beauty of circles.
The idea of God as a circle is inclusive, meaningful and accurate. God like a circle is at the centre of everything, not just the good stuff, but also the difficult and challenging moments in our lives too. When life gets difficult it is our belief that we are circled in light and love.
As we approach Christmas, it is all about celebrating a God who is at the centre of everything and the centre of our lives. If our lives feel out of balance as they sometimes do, we are invited to let the circle of God’s light and love bring some beautiful balance back in. Christmas is such a lovely time to begin to let this balance return.
