A few days after Hannah my youngest daughter was born at Mount Alvernia Hospital we brought her to be ‘presented’ to the Lord in a small chapel located in the Hospital; just like we did for her two brothers Seth and Kenan before her. It was a simple yet beautiful ceremony conducted by a Sister (nun), one that both my wife and I felt very Blessed to have witnessed and to be a part of as we prayed for our children to be consecrated unto our Lord.
Very few of us cradle Catholics would have experienced such a beautiful ceremony let alone remembered it since we were only babes. Moreover it not a common practice of our Catholic Church to have this ceremony performed, only Baptism. Today however as we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord we can all come into the presence and present ourselves before Him. Asking Him to take away all our impurities of body, mind and Spirit. All our concealed faults and secret distortions we often think we can hide from Him. As we cry out individually in our commitment to Him, “Here I am Lord! I’ve come to do Your Will.”
And as we have brought our candles to be Blessed perhaps we some of us will give one or two away to someone who could not attend Mass to have their candles Blessed on this special feast day. To share in the joy and light of Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Blessed mother Mary and St Joseph pray for us…..
First reading
Malachi 3:1-4 ·
The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple
The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.
Gospel
Luke 2:22-40
My eyes have seen your salvation
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’
As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
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