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Good afternoon sisters and brothers; 

It is a wet and blustery day out there. Please hold on to your hats and umbrellas and stay indoors if you are able. This is the kind of day in which the sound of the tea kettle whistling is like a familiar and soothing hymn. 

The first thing I do when I arrive at the church is to have a walk through the building and the sanctuary, making sure that everything is in order. It is part of my morning routine that I have grown to love. 

It has become a sort of meditative exercise. 

I walk through the halls imagining the lives of those who worshipped so long ago. 

I call it my daily spirit walk. 

This past Monday I was walking the hall on the second floor when I came upon the stained glass window that faces the bus station. By the design, it looks like it might have been installed sometime in the 1960's. It is in some ways unremarkable. There are no depictions of Christ, Apostles, no crosses nor empty tombs. Just a random cubist pattern using rather groovy colours. This stained glass window is usually not a subject of conversation.  I have walked by this window hundreds of times without giving it a second look. It is hidden in plain sight. 

But on Monday its invisibility cloak felt gently to the ground as I stopped and saw it through fresh eyes. The light streaming through the purple and yellow cubes filled the stairwell with an ethereal quality. It was powerful enough that I felt the need to sit on one of the wooden pews and simply be present in the moment. And I was amazed by the unexpected calm that I suddenly felt. This stairway became sacred ground, where the presence of the Holy Spirit was electric. I will never take this spot for granted again.

When we see things through the eyes of our hearts, the seemingly ordinary become extraordinary. 

Your homework for today is to go out and seek the extraordinary in unexpected places. Trust me, the things that you will see will simply amaze you. 

May you have a lovely day, filled with spontaneity and blessings. 

And I ask our little reflection group to keep praying for one another. When those in extreme circumstances find it difficult to pray, we hold them up in prayer. God bless our little reflection group. 

Let us pray 

Almighty God, 
we thank you for the gift of your holy word.
May it be a lantern to our feet,
a light upon our paths,
and a strength to our lives. 

Amen 

Bendiciones infinitas 

Paz 

I love you 

John