TEXTY BREAD Dec.29,2014 St. Thomas Becket Luke 2:22-35 The Presentation in the Temple ...And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord,... Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout,... and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lords Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now let your servant go in peace, according to word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you prepared in insight of all the peoples, a light for revelation,... and glory for your people. ...The childs Father and Mother were amazed... and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many... and to be a sign of contradicted ( and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. AMEN! ...Amid contradictions and pains is mans salvation...Lukes interest more on the presentation of the child Jesus. He shows that Jesus parents are obedient to the demands of the Jewish religious custom. Recall that Hannah brought Samuel to the sanctuary to offer him to the service of the lord (1 Sam 1:24-28). Jesus, the first born of Mary, and also the Son of GOD, belongs to GOD and is reserved for the divine service. That is why, later, when the boy Jesus get lost and is found in the temple, He asks his worried parents: Why were you looking for me? Did you know that I must be in mg Fathers house? REFLECTION: ...As parents, do we see our child as primarily a gift of GOD with a vocation in life? Do we respect that vocation? ...Our children are not our children. They are the sons and daughters of Lifes longing for themselves.They come through us but not from us, and though they are with us yet they belong not to us (Kahlil Gibran). PRAYER: ...Lord, may we recognize your visitation and be prepared for your action today, just as Simeon was prepared and ready to respond to your visitation and action in his day. Like us may we recognize you in the days of your visitation and may we know how to respond in it... AMEN.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 04:01:13 +0000