FRIDAY, DEC 29
Luke 2:22-35
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus 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:“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of 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.”
Grace: I ask for the grace to know Jesus in a deeper way that I may abundantly love and follow him.
‘They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord’ – this is a pivotal time in the life of every Jewish infant boy and his parents, his presentation to God as a child of the Covenant. Being in this grand Temple, after so many centuries of destruction, turmoil, and war, was a privilege for any devout Jewish parent. But this would prove to be an even more pivotal time in human history, not just in the lives of this small family. Present in the Temple would be the aged Simeon, ‘righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel’, the divinely promised and long-awaited Messiah who would deliver his people from foreign oppression. Simeon was a man of deep prayer who spent his days in communion with his God. Because of his single-hearted devotion to God, ‘the Holy Spirit was upon him’, his mind and heart were suddenly awakened. History was forever changed. This little boy from a poor family was indeed the ‘light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel’. Simeon did not wonder how this could possibly be. He did not protest that the Messiah was supposed to be a grand king and mighty warrior, just like his illustrious descendent the great King David. Simeon simply rejoiced that his God had given him the desire of his heart, to behold the Savior who had suddenly come to save his people. This is a story of God-moments, when the Lord of the universe suddenly erupts into the lives of seemingly ordinary people. Simeon, Mary, and Joseph are small in the eyes of the world, but big in faith. Human history will never be the same simply because they quietly show up and say ‘yes’.
For Reflection and Prayer:
Reflect upon a time when you sensed a ‘God-moment’ in your life.
How did you know that this was a pivotal time in your life?
How did you respond to this ‘suddenly’ timing of God’s call on your life?
The Contributor:
Gail Dereszewski is the Director of Adult Education and RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Matthew’s parish since 2011. She has been married to her husband Razi for 33 years and has called San Antonio home for 36 years. She considers it a great privilege to be able to serve the people of God through adult ministry.
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Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.