Thursday - February 02, 2023
I have no greater desire to die than to live;
if our Lord gave me the choice I would choose nothing;
I only will what He wills;
It is what He does that I love.
-- St. Therese of Lisieux
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Lectionary: 524
Reading I
Mal 3:1-4
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Responsorial Psalm 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a
R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Reading II Heb 2:14-18
Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia
Gospel Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
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.
OR:
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 Presentation of the Lord in our lives
Reflecting on today’s Gospel reading, think back to a time when someone presented Jesus to you in such a way that it changed you forever.
Do you do the same for others? In today’s first reading, see yourself as the messenger. Are you noticing the opportunities God gives you to present Jesus to the people around you? Angels are messengers sent from God, and the word “evangelist” has an “angel” in the middle: You have at least one angel assisting you when you evangelize!
We are called to work with angels every day. I personally believe (but only God can judge) that it’s a horrid sin to toss away evangelization opportunities. People’s eternal souls are at stake! The Lord drove this point home to me one Sunday when my family and I took some friends with us to Mass. The mother was an ex-Catholic and her kids had grown up without any church, but they said yes to our invitation to come to Mass.
We were so excited for them! But to our great dismay, the priest spent the entire homily time trying to guilt people into increasing donations for a fundraiser, without one word about the scriptures or Jesus or faith. I realize how necessary it is to spend time asking for donations, but his message was not a homily. He could easily have tied it into that Sunday’s scriptures and explained how our faith grows when we trust God with our gifts of generosity. He missed the opportunity to evangelize, which would have increased donations more effectively than scolding the congregation.
I suspect that Jesus was also dismayed. Let us pray earnestly for the souls of priests when their homilies aren’t faith-building, because they’ll be held accountable for every opportunity that God gives to them.
We are all accountable. What will you say to Jesus when you die and he shows you the opportunities that you ignored? We all have the calling to evangelize using the unique situations of our lives, our gifts, our talents, our jobs, our personalities, our experiences, and even our sufferings.
We’ve been commissioned in our baptisms and at the end of every Mass to share the Good News. We’re called to evangelize by acknowledging God and glorifying him in our everyday activities, saying with the psalmist of Psalm 24:7-10: “Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!”
We, like Mary and Joseph, are carrying Jesus into the temple of other people’s hopes and dreams and heart-felt needs. Right?
A prayer:
Loving Father, I ask for the grace to present Jesus to the people around me, sometimes by talking about him but always by proving his love in the way I live my life. Make me more aware of opportunities, and make sure that I do what You want me to do as your messenger, especially when I am around ___________. Amen!
Today's Prayer
May your Grace, Lord, grow in me. And may all the plans and projects You have designed for my good be fulfilled in me. Amen.
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