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

February 2, 2005
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Psalm: Wednesday 8

Reading I
Mal 3:1-4

Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner's fire,
or like the fuller's lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Reading II
Heb 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

Gospel
Lk 2:22-40 or 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."

The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
–and you yourself a sword will pierce–
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

or

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."

From: Hebrews 2:14-18

Jesus, Man's Brother, was Crowned with Glory and Honor
Above the Angels (Continuation)

[14] Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself
likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might
destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, [15] and
deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong
bondage. [16] For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned
but with the descendants of Abraham. [17] Therefore he had to be made
like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful
and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make
expiation for the sins of the people. [18] For because he himself has
suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Commentary:

14. As in the prologue of St John's Gospel (In 1:12-13), "flesh" and
"blood" apply to human nature in its weakened condition. Jesus has
assumed man's nature: "He has taken it on without sin but with all its
capacity to suffer pain, given that he took a flesh similar to sinful
flesh; he 'shared therefore in flesh and blood', that is, he took on a
nature in which he could suffer and die--which could not occur in a
divine nature" (St Thomas, "Commentary on Heb.", 2, 4).

Christ chose to submit to death, which is a consequence of sin, in
order to destroy death and the power of the devil. The Council of Trent
teaches that, as a result of original sin, man "incurred the wrath and
indignation of God, and consequently incurred death [...] and, together
with death, bondage in the power of him who from that time had the
empire of death" ("De Peccato Originali", Can. 3; cf. Rom 5:12;
6:12-14; 7:5; etc.). To explain this power of the devil, St Thomas
comments: "A judge has one kind of power of death: he can punish people
with death; a criminal has a different kind of power of death--a power
he usurps by killing another [...]. God has the first kind of dominion
over death; the devil has the second kind, for he seduces man to sin
and leads him to death" ("Commentary on Heb.", 2, 4).

Addressing Christ and his cross, the Church sings, "O altar of our
victim raised, / 0 glorious passion ever praised, / by which our Life
to death was rendered, / that death to life might thence be mended"
(Hymn "Vexilla Regis"). The death of Christ, the only one who could
atone for man's sin, wipes out sin and makes death a way to God. "Jesus
destroyed the demon", St Alphonsus writes; "that is, he destroyed his
power, for the demon had been lord of death on account of sin, that is,
he had power to cause temporal and eternal death to all the children of
Adam infected by sin. And this was the victory of the Cross that Jesus,
the author of life, by dying obtained Life for us through that death"
("Reflections on the Passion", Chap. 5, 1).

15. Christ has freed men not from physical but from spiritual death and
therefore from fear of death, because he has given us certainty of
future resurrection. Man's natural fear of death is easily explained by
his fear of the unknown and his instinctive aversion to what death
involves; but it can also be a sign of excessive attachment to this
life. "Because it does not want to renounce its desires, the soul fears
death, it fears being separated from the body" (St Athanasius, "Oratio
Contra Gentes", 3).

The fear of death which some people in the Old Testament had can be
explained by their not knowing what fate awaited them, and by the
possibility of being completely cut off from God. But physical death is
not something to be feared by those who sincerely seek God: "To me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain," St Paul explains (Phil 1:21).
"Don't be afraid of death. Accept it from now on, generously...when God
wills it, where God wills it, as God wills it. Don't doubt what I say:
it will come in the moment, in the place and in the way that are best:
sent by your Father-God. Welcome be our sister death!" ([St] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 739).

16. "It is not with angels that he is concerned": the original text
says literally "he did not take angels with his hand", " did not catch
hold of", "did not take [the nature of angels]"; meaning that Christ
took to himself a human nature, not an angelic nature. St John
Chrysostom explains the text in this way: "What does he mean by 'take
with his hand'; why does he not say 'took on/assumed' but instead uses
the expression 'took with his hand'? The reason is this: this verb has
to do with those who are in pursuit of their enemies and are doing all
they can to catch those who are in flight from them and to seize those
who resist. In other words, humankind had fled from him and fled very
far, for it says 'we were very far from God and were almost without God
in the world' (Eph 2:12). That is why he came in pursuit of us and
'seized us for himself'. The Apostle makes it clear that he did all
this entirely out of love for men, in his charity and solicitude for
us" ("Hom. on Heb.", 2).

"This single reflection, that he who is true and perfect God became
man, supplies sufficient proof of the exalted dignity conferred on the
human race by the divine bounty; since we may now glory that the Son of
God is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, a privilege not given
to angels" ("St Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 11).

17. This is the first mention of the central theme of the epistle, the
priesthood of Christ. Because he is God and man, Jesus is the only
Mediator between God and men, who have lost God's friendship and divine
life on account of sin; he exercises this mediation as High Priest; his
Love saves men by bridging the abyss which separates the sinful stock
of Adam from God whom it has outraged.

It first refers clearly to our Lord's human nature: he is in no way
different from men (except that he is not guilty of sin: cf. Heb 4:15).
"These words mean that Christ was reared and educated and grew up and
suffered all he had to suffer and finally died" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on
Heb.", 5). "He partook of the same food as we do," writes Theodoret of
Cyrus, "and he endured work; he experienced sadness in his soul and
shed tears; he underwent death" ("Interpretatio Ep. Ad Haebr.", II).

Christ the Priest is able perfectly to understand the sinner and make
satisfaction to divine Justice. "In a judge what one most desires is
mercy," St Thomas writes, "in an advocate, reliability. The Apostle
implies that both things were found in Christ by virtue of his Passion.
Mankind desires mercy of him as judge, and reliability of him as
advocate" ("Commentary on Heb.", 2, 4).

Christ's priesthood consists in making expiation by a sacrifice of
atonement and a peace-offering for the sins of men: he takes our place
and atones on our behalf: "Christ merited justification for us [...]
and made satisfaction for us to God the Father" (Council of Trent, "De
Iustificatione", Chap. 7).

18. Suffering can link a person to Christ in a special and mysterious
way. "The Redeemer suffered in place of man and for man. Every man has
his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in
that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished. He is
called to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has
also been redeemed. In bringing about the Redemption through suffering,
Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption.
Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the
redemptive suffering of Christ" (John Paul II, "Salvifici Doloris",
19).

Christ's main purpose in undergoing his passion was the Redemption of
mankind, but he also suffered in order to strengthen us and give us an
example. "By taking our weaknesses upon himself Christ has obtained for
us the strength to overcome our natural infirmity. On the night before
his passion, by choosing to suffer fear, anguish and sorrow in the
garden of Gethsemane he won for us strength to resist harassment by
those who seek our downfall; he obtained for us strength to overcome
the fatigue we experience in prayer, in mortification and in other
acts of devotion, and, finally, the fortitude to bear adversity with
peace and joy" (St Alphonsus, "Reflections on the Passion", Chap. 9,
1).

A person who suffers, and even more so a person who does penance,
should realize that he is understood by Christ. Christ will then
console him and help him bear affliction: "You too some day may feel
the loneliness of our Lord on the Cross. If so, seek the support of him
who died and rose again. Find yourself a shelter in the wounds in his
hands, in his feet, in his side. And your willingness to start again
will revive, and you will take up your journey again with greater
determination and effectiveness" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross",
XII, 2).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 2:22-40

The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

[22] And when the time came for their purification according to the law
of Moses, they (Joseph and Mary) brought Him (Jesus) up to Jerusalem to
present Him to the Lord [23] (as it is written in the law of the Lord,
"every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") [24]
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the
Lord, "a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons."

Simeon's Prophecy

[25] Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this
man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] And it had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the
Lord's Christ. [27] And inspired by the Spirit he came into the
temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him
according to the custom of the law, [28] he took Him up in his arms and
blessed God and said, [29] "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace, according to Thy word; [30] for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation [31] which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,
[32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory to Thy
people Israel."

[33] And His father and His mother marvelled at what was said about
Him; [34] and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, "Behold
this child is set for the fall the rising of many in Israel, and for a
sign that is spoken against [35] (and a sword will pierce through your
own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."

Anna's Prophecy

[36] And there was a prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Ahser; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband
seven years from her virginity, [37] and as a widow till she was
eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with
fasting and prayer night and day. [38] And coming up at that very hour
she gave thanks to God, and spoke of Him to all who were looking for
the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Childhood of Jesus

[39] And when they had performed everything according to the law of the
Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. [40] And
the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of
God was upon Him.

Commentary:

22-24. The Holy Family goes up to Jerusalem to fulfill the
prescriptions of the Law of Moses--the purification of the mother and
the presentation and then redemption or buying back of the first-born.
According to Leviticus 12:2-8, a woman who bore a child was unclean.
The period of legal impurity ended, in the case of a mother of a male
child, after forty days, with a rite of purification. Mary most holy,
ever-virgin, was exempt from these precepts of the Law, because she
conceived without intercourse, nor did Christ's birth undo the virginal
integrity of His Mother. However, she chose to submit herself to the
Law, although she was under no obligation to do so.

"Through this example, foolish child, won't you learn to fulfill the
holy Law of God, regardless of personal sacrifice?

"Purification! You and I certainly do need purification. Atonement
and, more than atonement, Love. Love as a searing iron to cauterize
our soul's uncleanness, and as a fire to kindle with divine flames the
wretchedness of our hearts" ([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", Fourth Joyful
Mystery).

Also, in Exodus 13:2, 12-13 it is indicated that every first-born male
belongs to God and must be set apart for the Lord, that is, dedicated
to the service of God. However, once divine worship was reserved to
the tribe of Levi, first-born who did not belong to that tribe were not
dedicated to God's service, and to show that they continued to be God's
special property, a rite of redemption was performed.

The Law also laid down that the Israelites should offer in sacrifice
some lesser victim--for example, a lamb or, if they were poor, a pair
of doves or two pigeons. Our Lord, who "though He was rich, yet for
your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich"
(2 Corinthians 8:9), chose to have a poor man's offering made on His
behalf.

25-32. Simeon, who is described as a righteous and devout man, obedient
to God's will, addresses himself to our Lord as a vassal or loyal
servant who, having kept watch all his life in expectation of the
coming of his Lord, sees that this moment has "now" come, the moment
that explains his whole life. When he takes the Child in his arms, he
learns, not through any reasoning process but through a special grace
from God, that this Child is the promised Messiah, the Consolation of
Israel, the Light of the nations.

Simeon's canticle (verses 29-32) is also a prophecy. It consists of
two stanzas: the first (verses 29-30) is an act of thanksgiving to God,
filled with profound joy for having seen the Messiah. The second
(verses 31-32) is more obviously prophetic and extols the divine
blessings which the Messiah is bringing to Israel and to all men. The
canticle highlights the fact that Christ brings redemption to all men
without exception--something foretold in many Old Testament prophecies
(cf. Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 2:6; 42:6; 60:3; Psalm 28:2).

It is easy to realize how extremely happy Simeon was--given that many
patriarchs, prophets and kings of Israel had yearned to see the
Messiah, yet did not see Him, whereas he now held Him in his arms (cf.
Luke 10:24; 1 Peter 1:10).

33. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph marvelled not because they did
not know who Christ was; they were in awe at the way God was revealing
Him. Once again they teach us to contemplate the mysteries involved in
the birth of Christ.

34-35. After Simeon blesses them, the Holy Spirit moves him to further
prophecy about the Child's future and His Mother's. His words become
clearer in the light of our Lord's life and death.

Jesus came to bring salvation to all men, yet He will be a sign of
contradiction because some people will obstinately reject Him--and for
this reason He will be their ruin. But for those who accept Him with
faith Jesus will be their salvation, freeing them from sin in this life
and raising them up to eternal life.

The words Simeon addresses to Mary announce that she will be intimately
linked with her Son's redemptive work. The sword indicates that Mary
will have a share in her Son's sufferings; hers will be an unspeakable
pain which pierces her soul. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our
sins, and it is those sins which forge the sword of Mary's pain.
Therefore, we have a duty to atone not only to God but also to His
Mother, who is our Mother too.

The last words of the prophecy, "that out of many hearts thoughts may
be revealed", link up with verse 34: uprightness or perversity will be
demonstrated by whether one accepts or rejects Christ.

36-38. Anna's testimony is very similar to Simeon's; like him, she too
has been awaiting the coming of the Messiah her whole life long, in
faithful service of God, and she too is rewarded with the joy of seeing
Him. "She spoke of Him," that is, of the Child--praising God in her
prayer and exhorting others to believe that this Child is the Messiah.

Thus, the birth of Christ was revealed by three kinds of witnesses in
three different ways--first, by the shepherds, after the angel's
announcement; second, by the Magi, who were guided by a star; third, by
Simeon and Anna, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

All who, like Simeon and Anna, persevere in piety and in the service of
God, no matter how insignificant their lives seem in men's eyes, become
instruments the Holy Spirit uses to make Christ known to other. In His
plan of redemption God avails of these simple souls to do much good to
all mankind.

39. Before their return to Nazareth, St. Matthew tells us (2:13-23),
the Holy Family fled to Egypt where they stayed for some time.

40. "Our Lord Jesus Christ as a child, that is, as one clothed in the
fragility of human nature, had to grow and become stronger but as the
eternal Word of God He had no need to become stronger or to grow.
Hence He is rightly described as full of wisdom and grace" (St. Bede,
"In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").

FEAST OF THE DAY

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord has been generally
celebrated in the Church since the fifth century. One of the earliest
known references to this feast comes from the diary of a pilgrim
named Ethera written in the fourth century. This pilgrim traveled to
Jerusalem to take part in the Christmas celebration there and her
journal gives a remarkable look into the early Church. Two of the
celebrations that she describes are the Feast of the Epiphany and
the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. At this time the Church in
Jerusalem celebrated the Birth of Christ at the Feast of the
Epiphany, January 6 and celebrated the Feast of the Presentation
forty days later. As this celebration gained popularity in the West, it
was moved from February 15 to February 2 because this date was
forty days after the Solemnity of Christmas, which was when the
Western Church celebrated the Birth of Jesus.

The roots of this celebration come from the Jewish faith, where a
family would present their children in the temple. This celebration did
not occur immediately after the birth of the child because the mother
was ritually unclean for forty days after childbirth. This tradition is
rooted in Mosaic Law which requires "purification" after contact with
mystery, especially birth or death.

As this feast gained popularity throughout the Church, it also began
to develop a rich tradition. One of these traditions comes from the
beginning of the eighth century when Pope Sergius normalized a
candlelight procession to commemorate the feast. This grew into the
tradition of the blessing and distribution of candles for the Faithful to
take into their homes. This feast is often called Candlemas in
reference to this tradition of bringing candles to Mass to be blessed.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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 sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. -Simeon at the
presentation of Jesus (Lk 2:29-32)

TODAY IN HISTORY

1854 Pope Pius IX encyclical "On the persecution of Armenians"
1974 Pope Paul VI encyclical "To Honor Mary"
1986 Dalai Lama meets Pope John Paul II in India

TODAY'S TIDBIT

The Marian hymn for February 2 through Easter is Ave Regina
caelorum. The Latin version follows, the English version will be in
tomorrow's e-pistle.

Ave, Regina caelorum,
ave Domina angelorum
salve, radix, salve, porta,
ex qua mundo lux est orta.

Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
super omnes speciosa;
vale, o valde decora, et pro nobis Christum exora.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Let us pray that more people may accept Jesus as the Light of the World.

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