Gospel: Luke
2:22-40
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 —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.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What can we offer the Lord? Are we willing
to offer our time in the service of the Lord? The Lord is not asking us to give
all of our time to Him I think even a little of our time will already suffice
for the Lord. But have we dared yet to give our time to the Lord? Mary and
Joseph in compliance with their Jewish faith brought Jesus to Jerusalem to
offer Him to the Lord.
Many of us are afraid to give our time for
the Lord for there’s no money in the service for the Lord. Yes indeed there’s
no money in the vineyard of the Lord but life is not all about earning money.
There’s more to life in fact than simply earning money and there’s more to life
than having all the power and material wealth in this world.
Have we thought of doing something for the
Lord, have we thought of doing something that would give satisfaction to our
inner being no other than our souls?
Material things are important for we also
need it for our existence but it’s not the be all and end all of life. The be
all and end all of life is God. For our earthly possessions no matter how
enormous will pass us by. But God will not pass us by He will be with us here
in this world. And He will still be with us until after our temporal journey in
this world is over and done with already.
What can we offer our Lord? – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
No comments:
Post a Comment