When the days were completed for their purification according to the law
of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus 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 the 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 Band 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.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What do you get when you worship God as a family? It strengthens
your family; it eternally imprints in the minds of your children the primacy of
God in their lives as they grow up. Many families have their own bonding
moments; they go on family vacation some would embark on short trips to
strengthen the bond of their family. Nothing is wrong with that for it will
strengthen the unity of the family.
However, during this time of covid-19 pandemic this kind of family
bonding is not anymore possible. This forced families to stay in their
respective homes and this opened a beautiful opportunity for families to bond
spiritually. And how is this possible? Families can do this by praying the Holy
Rosary as a family, by sharing and reflecting upon the words of Jesus in the
bible as a family, by watching online Mass and by having a regular family
prayer time during these uncertain times.
The best bonding moment for the family is to worship God at church for
Holy Mass as a unit, as a family. But this is not possible for every
family during this time of covid-19, therefore; families must worship God
inside their homes for the time being.
There shall be unbelievable blessing for your family if you worship God
as a family, when your children grow up they will also carry this holy
tradition and pass it on to their respective children. And this holy tradition
of family worshipping God will go on and on until your children’s children and its
propagation will never stop.
But of course like Mary whose heart was pierced with anguish as she saw
the heart wrenching persecution and punishment of her son Jesus. There would
also be moments of trials for your family it will be like your heart would be
pierced also by a lancet.
However for so long as you bring your family to the church to worship God
at Holy Mass. Or for as long as you worship God inside your home as a family you
have nothing to worry about for when God is with your family nobody can break
it not even the severest family trial.
In the gospel, Joseph and Mary brought to the temple the child Jesus not
only to comply with the law of their faith. But also to introduce their family
most especially their child Jesus to the Lord. Why? Because they knew the
enormous blessings that would be upon their family the moment they do so. – Marino J. Dasmarinas