February 2, 2015
Presentation of the Lord
1st Reading: Mal 3:1–4
2nd Reading: Heb 2:14–18
Gospel: Lk 2:22–32 (or Lk 2:22–40)
When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought the baby up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law.
Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see.
Here is the light you will reveal to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Oh how close Simeon was to God when at the Temple he embraced Mary’s child. Overwhelmed he exclaimed: “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see.” Such must have been his fundamental option in life because when he saw it fulfilled he was ready to die.
If our fundamental option is to see God’s plan fulfilled we’d be interested that it happens first in our personal lives. For this we’d be spending our lives aligning our will to God’s will. The will of God will then become the pivotal point of our existence. Like a pair of eyeglasses, God’s holy will makes clearer to us what things please God and what things offend him. Discerning God’s will was harder until Christ came as “lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths”. He came to show us the way to the Father. Perfectly did Simeon describe him as “a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:32).
Today we revisit Simeon’s experience as we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord by lighting candles during our Eucharistic celebrations. The candles we light shouldn’t just be a mere reminder of Jesus who came as light but should challenge us to walk the path that leads to the fulfillment of God’s plan. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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