Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-02-05, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Wednesday February 2, 2005 Presentation of the Lord

Reading I (Malachi 3:1-4) Reading II (Hebrews 2:14-18)

Gospel (St. Luke 2:22-40)

As we celebrate today this feast of the Presentation of Our Blessed Lord in the Temple, we reflect upon just exactly why this was to take place. We recall that the firstborn son had to be presented in order to be redeemed because of the death of the firstborn back in Egypt; because the firstborn of the Israelites we spared, God said that from that point forward all of the Israelite children who would be firstborn sons would have to be presented to the Lord and redeemed because their lives had been spared. The redemption of the child was through either the sacrifice of a lamb or the two turtledoves or pigeons (if the people were poor).

And so we see Our Lady and Saint Joseph going up to the temple to fulfill the law of the Lord, even though Jesus did not need to be redeemed. He is God and there was no sin, but the fact of the matter is that we see Mary and Joseph taking the Child up to Jerusalem in obedience to the law. We see also that it is not so much for the Child’s sake that this is happening, but, as we heard in the second reading, because the Child did indeed have human flesh and blood (even though His was not corrupted in any way) He was going to be redeemed because it was our humanity that needed to be redeemed, it is us who needed to be purified. As they go up to Jerusalem, we recognize that it is really for the sake of others, not for themselves – so that Simeon would be able to see this Child, bless the parents, and give his prophecy regarding what would happen with Our Lady and Our Lord; also that Anna would be able to know that this child had been born and she would speak to all of the people who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. We see that it is really the beginning, publicly, of the proclamation of the Gospel, not the full proclamation that Our Lord Himself would preach later on, but nonetheless, the truth that God had been born into the world was now being told to the people of Jerusalem so that those who truly had faith and were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem would be able to know that their prayers had been fulfilled and all of their hopes had now come to fruition.

But we also know that there were many who did not accept Him. Maybe they believed in what God had promised, but they did not want to accept the reality of Who this Child was. That is the part we need to look at for ourselves because Our Lord, each and every day when we receive Holy Communion, is presented in the temple of our soul. The question is: Do we accept Him? It is not that we are rejecting Him, but many of the people that Anna would have spoken to did not out-and-out reject Him either; they just did not really accept Him in the fullness of Who He was. As we hear in the first reading from Malachi, Suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord Whom you seek, are we seeking Him? Do we desire Him? We can look at it and say, “Well, certainly. I wouldn’t be here right now if I didn’t.” But I am not talking about the objective element of it. Obviously, we want the Lord in our lives. I am asking: Do we really want Christ? Do we really want to change our lives? Do we really want to be purified? That is what this was all about, not the purification of the physical person of Jesus, but the purification of the Mystical Person of Christ – all those who would be His members. That is us. Do we want to be purified?

Too many of us just want mortal sin gone, but we do not want to get rid of the rest. Too many of us want to be Christian, but we do not really want to live it out in its fullness because it becomes uncomfortable and we do not really want to make the changes that are necessary. Do we want to be purified? Do we want our temple to be pure and perfect? Do we want it to be a beautiful place for the Lord, Who came to purify so that we would be able to offer acceptable sacrifice to God? Because we share in the spiritual priesthood, we are all called to offer pure and acceptable sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus on the altar is perfect. There is nothing wrong in that. The question has to do with the sacrifice that is present in our hearts. What are we giving to the Lord? What is going on inside this temple, that is, each one of us? Is it really the place where the Lord is? How many people were in that temple the day Our Lord was presented, and out of all of them two recognized Who He was because there were only two that were really praying that desperately for the Messiah. There were only two who really wanted to see Him that badly. How badly do we want to see Him? How much do we want our temple to be purified? How much do we want our share in the priesthood to be purified so that we can offer acceptable sacrifice to the Lord?

Are we willing to have that purification happen, that purification that will be a sign that will be contradicted, which is a sword of sorrow that is going to pierce our own hearts? These are the things we are told of Jesus and Mary, who were without sin. For the rest of us, similar things are going to take place. Again, the question is: Do we want it and how much? Of all the people in the temple, there were only two. Of all of these temples of the Lord that are consecrated to Him in Baptism, how many really are looking forward to the coming of the Lord? How many really desire the Lord to enter into their own temple? How many seek there to offer perfect sacrifice to Christ? That is what Our Lord is looking for – a temple that is purified, a priesthood that is purified, so that what takes place in our hearts will truly be fitting worship of our Almighty God.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

Thank you this is very good I thank you all that help "pray" Jan Pawel II I will remember this!
BBC News Information
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4228493.stm
Pope John Paul II's condition has stabilised following overnight medical treatment that included respiratory assistance, the Vatican has said.
The 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to Rome's Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties on Tuesday night after a bout of flu suddenly worsened.

The Vatican said in a statement later that the condition of the Pope's heart and lungs were "within normal limits".

A spokesman added that he would remain in hospital "for another few days".

Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Polish-born pontiff had never lost consciousness. He still had a slight fever on Wednesday morning but had nonetheless participated in a Mass from his hospital bed.

'He's improving'

"I think everyone has to be calm because there is no reason for alarm today," Mr Navarro-Valls told reporters outside the hospital on Wednesday morning.

Italy's Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia visited the Pope on Wednesday, saying afterwards: "He is improving, the doctors are optimistic."

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says the Vatican is at pains to stress that this is not a life-threatening illness.

But our correspondent says that because of the Pope's age and increasing frailty there is no question of setting a date when he will be able to leave hospital.

He will miss his weekly audience on Wednesday for the first time since September 2003, when he had an intestinal ailment.

Catholics around the world have attended special church services to pray for his recovery.

Breathing crisis

The Pope suffers from Parkinson's disease and painful joint conditions.

He was forced to cancel all engagements for several days after coming down with flu on Sunday.

The pontiff was taken by ambulance to the Gemelli hospital at about 2300 local time (2200 GMT) on Tuesday.

"The flu which has been affecting the Holy Father for three days was complicated with acute inflammation of the larynx and laryngo-spasm," Mr Navarro-Valls said in a statement at the time.

Laryngo-spasm is a closure of the larynx that blocks the passage of air to the lungs - a condition where one cannot catch one's breath.

The Pope is being cared for in the same room at the hospital where he has been treated several times before.

Vatican sources say a contingency plan was made for the Pope to be taken to hospital if he fell victim to the current flu epidemic sweeping Italy. A set of rooms is always reserved for him on the 10th floor.

Tireless traveller

The appointment of Karol Wojtyla as the first Polish pope in 1978 was seen as a groundbreaking move for the Roman Catholic Church.

The first non-Italian pope in 455 years - and at 58, the youngest pope of the 20th Century - he was little known outside Vatican circles. Few experts tipped him as successor to Pope John Paul, who died after only 33 days in office.

John Paul II is now in the 27th year of his pontificate which makes him almost the longest-reigning pope in history.

The Pope - the leader of the world's estimated one billion Catholics - has visited more than 100 countries, and is estimated to have effectively circled the globe 27 times.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Surviving the Etceteras of Life
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-32

In ancient Rome in the days of Nero some poor Christian was being chased around the coliseum by a ferocious lion. The faster he ran, the faster the lion ran. Eventually, it was obvious that the end was near, so the poor fellow fell to his knees and prayed aloud, "Dear Lord, make this lion a Christian!"

With that, the lion fell to his knees and began to pray, "Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive..." The end WAS near!

* * *

Recently there appeared in the newspaper a cartoon depicting a prophet of doom with a long beard and flowing robes and a sign that read: "The end is NOT near. You'll have to learn to cope!"

+ + +

Sometimes the lions really are chasing us. But most of the time what we face are not lions but the numbing etceteras of life, the little things that have to be done, and done well, over and over. Lawns don't stay mowed. Taxes don't stay paid. Perfect roofs don't stay perfect. And as every child knows, homework doesn't stay done.

"A mother's work is never done," goes the old saying. Quite true, but neither is anyone else's work ever done! And after a while, when the novelty has worn off and year follows upon year, we can get worn down. We can lose heart and be tempted to give up or run away.

So how do we keep going — not just surviving, putting one foot in front of the other? How do we keep moving forward with spirit, glad that we're alive? The old man Simeon in Sunday's Gospel gives us a clue. When Mary and Joseph showed up at the temple to present their new baby to the Lord, Simeon took little Jesus tenderly in his arms and whispered, "I knew you'd come! I knew it!"

It was that knowing that kept Simeon alive on the inside across those many years. It was that knowing that gave every day of his life joy and energy. And how had he known? The Gospel says the Holy Spirit had been with him from the beginning. He'd never walked alone, and so he knew from the inside that God could never abandon his people — not even one of them.

The Spirit is knocking softly at our inner door, offering us the same energy, the same quiet joy that carried Simeon all the way to the end of his good life.

The Spirit is knocking. Open the door, and walk alone no more!

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Meditation
Mark 5:21-43

The Presentation of the Lord

Luke 2:22-40

Recognizing the infant Jesus in the Temple, Simeon described him as a sign that would be spoken against by many. He also told Mary that a sword would pierce her own soul (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus remains that “sign of contradiction” even today, as his life and teachings often stand in stark contrast to the philosophies and ways of this world.

Take the whole subject of forgiveness. When someone wrongs us, a wide range of emotions wells up inside us, from anger, to hurt, to resentment, to a desire for revenge. Most today would tell us that these feelings are completely justified, but that’s not how Mary reacted when she saw her son dying an unjust death.

Whenever we feel as if our souls are being pierced, we should try to measure our response against Jesus’ teaching that we must forgive seventy times seven times, that we must turn the other cheek, and that we must pray for our persecutors. Mary’s forgiveness was boundless, and ours can become boundless as well.

Or take as another example the world’s approach to peace and happiness. The world tells us that security lies in being strong, wealthy, good-looking, and smart. It makes little provision for our spiritual needs. It sees Jesus as good, but not as essential; nice, but not vital; one way, but not the only way.

How easy it can be to replace the call to forgive with another interpretation! How easy it can be to minimize Jesus and maximize worldly philosophies! And yet Jesus still tells us that it is the lowly and the humble who will inherit the highest place in his kingdom.

Today, let’s “present” ourselves to God in two ways. First, let’s try to forgive everyone who has hurt us. If that seems too hard, we can at least take one step closer to forgiveness. Second, let’s put Jesus first in our lives, above everything else. Even if we find ourselves unable to let go of some sinful area in our lives, we can still ask Jesus to give us more of his grace and more of his power. He knows where our hearts are, and he wants to encourage us to keep trying.

“Holy Spirit, transform the way I think and act and speak. Remove all the thoughts and beliefs that stand in contradiction to Jesus and replace them with the desire to put Jesus first."

I think I posted this meditation I wrote a few years back once before in another discussion, but it is really meant for today:

The change has been slow, yet unrelenting. Since the Winter Solstice, the sun’s setting has daily delayed, if even by one minute, so that journeys and chores once completed in darkness now are accompanied by brilliant twilight.

Yet, even as this change in evening’s day length has been progressing, mornings remain as dark and foreboding as they had a month before. Morning journeys and chores are still completed in darkness. The morning darkness has been unrelenting and slow to change.

But just at the time you receive this newsletter, the mornings too will brighten. With increasing rapidity the sunrise will advance, first by five minutes each week, then nearly by ten. The lengthening of the daylight at morning and night will become obvious.

Because the lengthening of the morning light first becomes obvious around the beginning of February, it is very probable that this helped inspire the tradition of candlelighting that begins the festival of the Presentation of Our Lord on February 2. Surely the brightening of the morning sky would add cheer to the day when the faithful--like the Biblical Simeon-- hail Jesus as “the light of all nations and the glory of Israel” (Luke 2:32). As the great hymnwriter Charles Wesley has declared:

Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ the true and only light,
Sun of righteousness, arise, Triumph o’er the shades of night.
Dayspring from on high, be near, Daystar, in my heart appear.

This annual return of morning light and lengthening of the daylight in the Northern Hemisphere certainly influenced our forbearers in the faith as they developed the cycle of feasts and fasts that we know as the Church year. Indeed, the season of preparation for the Paschal Feast of Easter--Lent--derives its name from lengthen, a reference to the lengthening of the daylight.

There is a terrible irony that just as astronomical days grow longer we are very starkly and visibly reminded that our anatomical days grow shorter. As the first buds begin to swell and the first hints of green plants appear our brows are smudged with the residue of lifeless plants and we are told that truth that we would like to deny and yet can never defy: “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return.” That change back to the dust of the earth from which we were made is also one that is slow, yet unrelenting.

It is this inevitability that gives Lent and its disciplines such urgency. Knowing not when shall be our last day or hour, we hear all the more sharply the words of St. Paul addressed to the congregation at Corinth:

We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we work together with him,
we urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says,
“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time;
see, now is the day of salvation!

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:2
Epistle for Ash Wednesday

The Apostle pleads for his people not to delay in repenting of their sins or in redirecting their lives. The day of salvation may be at hand at any time.

And when it is at hand, will we greet it with the joy and faith that inspired Simeon of old to take the forty-day old Christ child, the “light of nations” in his arms and bless God because now, as it had been promised to him, he could die in peace?

For we know that without Christ, the day of the Lord brings darkness and no light. Again, to quote Wesley’s hymn:

Dark and cheerless is the morn, Unaccompanied by thee,
Joyless is the day’s return, Till thy mercy’s beams I see,
Till they inward light impart, Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.

So it is then, that we should anticipate the lengthening of the daylight and the shortening of our days with the Lenten disciplines of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving to encourage that gift of heart-warming grace. And so it is that we should greet the lengthening of the daylight and the shortening of our days with the final verse of Wesley’s hymn:

Visit then, this soul of mine. Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, radiancy divine, Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more thyself display, Shining to the perfect day.

So may we pray. So may we fast. So may we give alms.
So may we change slowly and unrelentingly .

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, February 2, 2005 >>

Presentation of the Lord

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18

Psalm 24
Luke 2:22-40

View Readings

LIGHT ON YOUR FEET

“A revealing Light to the Gentiles...” —Luke 2:32

In the time of Jesus, light came from fire. Electricity and light bulbs did not exist. People had to “light a lamp” in order for light to be produced. Darkness could not be overcome unless something was set on fire (see Mt 4:16).

Jesus, the Light (Lk 2:32; Jn 8:12), came “to light a fire on the earth” (Lk 12:49). When Jesus ministered to people, their hearts burned inside them (Lk 24:32) and they passed on that light to others (Lk 24:33ff). The Church teaches us this truth so vividly at the beautiful Easter Vigil liturgy. The church building is in darkness, and the light of Jesus is passed from one person’s candle to another. Soon, the entire church is illuminated by the strength of everyone’s candlelight. Today’s feast day, also known as Candlemas, also emphasizes the blessing of candles. You are a blessing (Gn 12:2) and a candle (Mt 5:14) for the Lord.

A bishop once told his priests: “Do not be so afraid of being burned out that you never catch on fire.” Jesus wills to make us like the burning bush: totally ablaze with light, yet not consumed (see Ex 3:2). The sight of our burning, yet not burned out, lives will attract others, bring them into God’s presence, and result in holy vocations and liberation (see Ex 3:3ff). God wills that even nations and world leaders should walk by our light (Is 60:3).

Jesus provides the light. All we must do is be willing to be set on fire. Be a “lamp, set aflame and burning bright” (Jn 5:35).

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of Your love.

Promise: Jesus “is able to help those who are tempted.” —Heb 2:18

Praise: Praise Jesus, presented in the Temple, Who subjected Himself to the Law to set us free!

Lk 2:22-40
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
22	And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord:	et postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis eius secundum legem Mosi tulerunt illum in Hierusalem ut sisterent eum Domino
23	As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord:	sicut scriptum est in lege Domini quia omne masculinum adaperiens vulvam sanctum Domino vocabitur
24	And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons:	et ut darent hostiam secundum quod dictum est in lege Domini par turturum aut duos pullos columbarum
25	And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon: and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was in him.	et ecce homo erat in Hierusalem cui nomen Symeon et homo iste iustus et timoratus expectans consolationem Israhel et Spiritus Sanctus erat in eo
26	And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.	et responsum acceperat ab Spiritu Sancto non visurum se mortem nisi prius videret Christum Domini
27	And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,	et venit in Spiritu in templum et cum inducerent puerum Iesum parentes eius ut facerent secundum consuetudinem legis pro eo
28	He also took him into his arms and blessed God and said	et ipse accepit eum in ulnas suas et benedixit Deum et dixit
29	Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace:	nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine secundum verbum tuum in pace
30	Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,	quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
31	Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:	quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum
32	A light to the revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.	lumen ad revelationem gentium et gloriam plebis tuae Israhel
33	And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him.	et erat pater eius et mater mirantes super his quae dicebantur de illo
34	And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted.	et benedixit illis Symeon et dixit ad Mariam matrem eius ecce positus est hic in ruinam et resurrectionem multorum in Israhel et in signum cui contradicetur
35	And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.	et tuam ipsius animam pertransiet gladius ut revelentur ex multis cordibus cogitationes
36	And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser. She was far advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity.	et erat Anna prophetissa filia Phanuhel de tribu Aser haec processerat in diebus multis et vixerat cum viro suo annis septem a virginitate sua
37	And she was a widow until fourscore and four years: who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day.	et haec vidua usque ad annos octoginta quattuor quae non discedebat de templo ieiuniis et obsecrationibus serviens nocte ac die
38	Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord: and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel.	et haec ipsa hora superveniens confitebatur Domino et loquebatur de illo omnibus qui expectabant redemptionem Hierusalem
39	And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth.	et ut perfecerunt omnia secundum legem Domini reversi sunt in Galilaeam in civitatem suam Nazareth
40	And the child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in him.	puer autem crescebat et confortabatur plenus sapientia et gratia Dei erat in illo

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