FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD (Luke 2:22-40) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
FIRST READING - Mal 3:1-4
"And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple."
A reading from the Book of Malachi
1 Now I am sending my messenger—
he will prepare the way before me;[a]
And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple;
The messenger of the covenant whom you desire—
see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming?
Who can stand firm when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner’s fire,
like fullers’ lye.
3 He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the Levites,
Refining them like gold or silver,
that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the Lord,
as in ancient days, as in years gone by.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 2:22-40
"My eyes have seen your salvation."
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
22 [a]When the days were completed for their purification[b] according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, 23 just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” 24 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.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel,[c] and the holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. 27 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, 28 he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
29 “Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; 34 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 35 (and you yourself a sword will pierce)[d] so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 36 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, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. 38 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.
39 When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD (Luke 2:22-40)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God speaks to all of humanity about Jesus Christ's plan during His life on earth.
Although Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He still followed human laws and customs.
When the Child reached the age when He was to be presented in the Temple according to the law, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the Temple to be purified and offered to God. This act of offering the child signifies that whatever God gives to humanity, such as being born or living in this world, we should first turn to God to give thanks to Him.
That is a human custom blessed by God, for the Son of God Himself, born into this world, also conformed to and fulfilled that law.
God also makes known to humanity that when the Son of God was presented in the Temple, it was also the moment God revealed to humanity that He is the Most High, who came to the world to accompany, save, and heal all of mankind.
He is the Messiah, the One who must come into the world to save humanity.
This image was manifested through the hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God by the elderly prophet Simeon and Anna; for they had seen with their own eyes the Son of the Most High God, who came down to earth to become man; He is the One whom Simeon and Anna, as well as all of humanity, have been longing day and night for the Son of God who would come into the world to become man to rescue humanity from the captivity of Satan.
There is no greater happiness than beholding the Son of God!
That is the sublime joy that God bestows upon humanity, especially upon the elderly Simeon and Anna; for to behold and cradle the Infant Jesus in one’s arms is the greatest joy for humanity, a profound happiness for those who, day and night, have yearned and waited for the Savior to come into the world.
With overflowing joy, the prophet Simeon offered words of praise and thanksgiving to God for His loving mercy toward humanity. Indeed, blessed are those who have beheld God right here in this world!
Yet, an even greater happiness for people in today's world is to receive the Son of God Himself dwelling within our hearts through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
There is no greater joy than to have God dwell in our hearts every second, every minute.
Therefore, God also calls upon everyone to give Him thanks for the love that led Him to sacrifice and die to redeem humanity's sins, becoming a humble piece of bread so that we may fully receive the very Person of the Most High God.
Through this, God calls upon humanity to:
Always live with a spirit of gratitude, praising God's love, and to live in holiness, purity, and a virtuous life, so that God may always dwell in our hearts.
Do not cast God out of our lives; for that is what happens when we fall into sin, when we live in ways that displease God, such as idolatry of material wealth, the worship of Satan, worship of the things of this world; that is when we fail to prepare a place in our hearts for God to dwell.
If any person’s soul is filled with such worldly things, let us run to God and open our hearts, asking Him to cleanse and remove all the sins hidden within our hearts, in this way, our souls may be pure to receive the Son of God who is present in the Holy Eucharist daily, and so that God may dwell within our hearts.
From then on, God will grant us happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven; we will no longer suffer, be imprisoned, or face death in the darkness brought about by Satan; instead, we will enjoy happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven and be embraced by God's love and mercy, both in soul and body.
Let us walk in God's grace and love; renounce sinful lifestyles; long for and thirst for God, and open our hearts and souls to welcome the Son of God into our innermost being, He is Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself and died, who rose again, and Who now dwells in the Holy Eucharist to remain with humanity until the end of time.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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