REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Recall to yourself that our Lord is the beloved Son of the living God; that He is Himself the God of all consolation, the sight of whom forms the beatitude of the angels and elect. And yet, what does He not suffer!
-- St Ignatius Loyola
READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 John 2:3-11
(The New Command)
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him.
4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.
5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:
6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
7 My dear friends, this command I am writing you is not new; it is the old command, the one you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the message you have already heard.
8 However, the command I now write you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ and also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining.
9 If we say that we are in the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very hour.
10 If we love others, we live in the light, and so there is nothing in us that will cause someone else to sin.
11 But if we hate others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where we are going, because the darkness has made us blind.
Psalms: Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6
(God the Supreme King)
1 Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the world!
2 Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us.
3 Proclaim his glory to the nations, his mighty deeds to all peoples.
5 The gods of all other nations are only idols, but the Lord created the heavens.
6 Glory and majesty surround him; power and beauty fill his Temple.
Gospel: Luke 2:22-35
(Jesus Is Presented in the Temple)
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.”
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