Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
When the days were
completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, They took him
up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of
the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and
to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in
accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man
in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting
the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been
revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had
seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when
the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the
custom of the law in regard to him, He took him into his arms and blessed God,
saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to
your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of
all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your
people Israel." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said
about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold,
this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a
sign that will be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce— so that
the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." There was also a prophetess,
Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in
years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then
as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped
night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the
redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had
fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
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Reflection:
Do you always bring your
children to church for Mass? Do you present them to the Lord and say: “I offer
my children to you take care of them my Lord and savior Jesus.
For the reason of
our busyness and perhaps because many of us were not brought up by our parents
to be always present at Mass every Sunday. We forget also to bring our children
to attend Mass and we forget to introduce to them the importance of Holy Mass
in their lives. if this is how we are now we must correct this.
We must first of all
bring our children closer to Jesus for the reason that this is our primary duty
as parents. We must introduce them to Jesus by reading and sharing to them His
life in the bible and we must imbed in their minds the importance of regularly
reading the bible.
What will it profit
our children if they have the best material things in this world yet they don’t
have in their hearts Jesus? Nothing! Just try observing the behavior of
children brought up with the teachings and values of Jesus vis-a-vis children
brought up with worldliness and materialism.
As Joseph and Mary
brought the child Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord. Parents are
also strongly encouraged to bring their children to church for Holy Mass. –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
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