REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Mary's virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world; these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence.
-- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Epesius 19:1
READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14
2 for the Lord has given fathers authority over their children and given children the obligation to obey their mothers.
3 If you respect your father, you can make up for your sins,
4 and if you honor your mother, you are earning great wealth.
5 If you respect your father, one day your own children will make you happy; the Lord will hear your prayers.
6 If you obey the Lord by honoring your father and making your mother happy, you will live a long life.
7 Obey your parents as if you were their slave.
12 My child, take care of your father when he grows old; give him no cause for worry as long as he lives.
13 Be sympathetic even if his mind fails him; don't look down on him just because you are strong and healthy.
14 The Lord will not forget the kindness you show to your father; it will help you make up for your sins.
Psalms: Psalm 128:1-5
(The Reward of Obedience to the Lord)
1 Happy are those who obey the Lord, who live by his commands.
2 Your work will provide for your needs; you will be happy and prosperous.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home, and your children will be like young olive trees around your table.
4 A man who obeys the Lord will surely be blessed like this.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life!
Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17
(Personal Relations in the New Life)
12 You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13 Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.
14 And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.
15 The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful.
16 Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.
17 Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father.
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what you should do as Christians.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents always, for that is what pleases God.
21 Parents, do not irritate your children, or they will become discouraged.
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22, 39-40
(Jesus Is Presented in the Temple/ The return to Nazareth)
22 The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification, as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
23 as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every first-born male is to be dedicated to the Lord.”
24 They also went to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, as required by the law of the Lord.
25 At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him
26 and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's promised Messiah.
27 Led by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required,
28 Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God:
29 “Now, Lord, you have kept your promise, and you may let your servant go in peace.
30 With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:
32 A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles and bring glory to your people Israel.”
33 The child's father and mother were amazed at the things Simeon said about him.
34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against
35 and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”
36 There was a very old prophet, a widow named Anna, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for only seven years and was now eighty-four years old.
37 She never left the Temple; day and night she worshiped God, fasting and praying.
38 That very same hour she arrived and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for God to set Jerusalem free.
39 When Joseph and Mary had finished doing all that was required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee.
40 The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God's blessings were upon him.
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