FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

Gospel: (Luke 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.”.

Reflection:

The Archangel Gabriel tells Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” After her Assumption into heaven, Mary appears throughout the centuries to people, very often, but not exclusively, to youngsters and teenagers... We are talking about the Mother of God, the spiritual Mother of humankind gifted to us by Jesus himself not at the Last Supper but at the last breaths of his earthy life. Mother Mary tells people to “Come, come to me” or words of that effect. She touches people’s hearts. In a few cases, she physically touches visionaries. Her appearances have calming effects; they have a serenity about them…Who would not want to hold the baby Jesus? What do we expect from any mother? Mary is our heavenly Mother, our spiritual Mother. She is our living Mother who is with us our whole lives. (Ronald Ramson, CM, Put Your Hands Into hers, p.20)

Vincentian Meditation:

Simeon spoke of one sword. In reality there were seven, and we can count at least seven occasions when sorrow entered Our Lady's soul. There was a possible eighth sorrow, and that was living with the fear of what was to come. That can be a heavy cross. It is often more painful to sit waiting in the dentist's waiting room than to sit in the dentist's chair. What I would like to think of as Our Lady's eighth sorrow was living with the sword… hanging over her. Yet, that did not deter Our Lady from going on with the business of living and caring for the home in Nazareth, from following Our Lord in His preaching journeys and from making her way to the spot where He was executed. She lived with fear but was able with the strength of God to prevent it from immobilizing her. May Mary obtain for each of us the grace of surmounting those fears which occupy a place in the hearts of every one of us and sometimes paralyze us in showing love to God and to our neighbor. (Deep Down Things, p. 373)

Discussion: (Share your thoughts after a moment of silence)

       How does your living of the gospel shape your everyday choices?

Closing Prayer:

       We pray for the grace to face fear with calmness
             -Pray for us, Mother Mary.
      We pray for the grace to overcome fear
             -Pray for us, Mother Mary.
Amen