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.
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Reflection:
What can you offer the Lord? Would you
be willing to offer your time in the service of the Lord? Perhaps, the Lord is
not asking you to give all of your time to Him, even a little of our time will
already suffice for the Lord. But have you dared yet to give even a little of your
time to the Lord?
Mary and Joseph in compliance with
their Jewish faith brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present 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 than simply
earning money, we can earn all the money in this world and we still end up
empty.
Have we thought of doing something for
the Lord? Have we thought of doing something that would give meaning to our
inner being no other than our soul? 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 beyond this world.
What can you offer our Lord? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
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