Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 2: 22-35

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him 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:

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This will be our only encounter with Simeon in scripture. But he appears for a very particular reason. Simeon teaches us the virtue of trust.

Although it feels at times like God is delayed, Simeon reminds us that God is faithful; the Lord will act in our lives. 

But God’s timing is different from ours. As we hear in the Psalms, “A thousand years in your eyes are merely a day gone by.”

God isn’t in a rush.

In Simeon’s case, the Lord promised that he would appear to him before his death. Although the Lord waited until Simeon was frail, he kept his promise. He acted. He appeared in the face of child Jesus.

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Perhaps we’re waiting on a prayer to be answered, too. An illness to be cured; a job; a relationship to be mended.

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It’s hard being patient. But good things come to those who wait. The key is remembering that for God, “a thousand years are like a day gone by.” 

It takes time, but trust in the Lord and he will act.

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Image credits: (1) Simeon Holding Jesus, Andrey Siskin (2) Simeon and Anna, Gospel Images (3) World Challenge

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Gospel: Matthew 2: 13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s feast is jarring – the Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs.

We remember all those infants murdered by King Herod in his ruthless search for the infant Jesus. It’s hard to imagine a king issuing a death warrant for children, but some will do anything to stay in power, as we still see today.

This feast reminds us that there’s both light and darkness, good and evil, at work in our world, causing both joy and sorrow at Christmas.

While Jesus survived Herod’s wrath that year, many innocent children didn’t.

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This Gospel passage always makes me more sensitive to the suffering of others, who’ve tasted more sorrow than joy this holiday season.

I think of those who struggle with either a physical or mental illness; those who work double-shifts to put bread on the table; those who’ve lost someone they love, particularly parents who’ve lost a child like the parents – real people – in today’s Gospel.

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While I hope we’ve experienced something joyful this Christmas season, we should also remember those who’ve struggled. May we help to shoulder their burdens; dry their tears; break their isolation; and come to their aid.

Think of some way to be the “light” where there is darkness.

Holy Innocents, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) The Holy Innocents, Blisswood (2) Salisbury Catholic Churches (3) The Feller Family

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Gospel: John 20: 1-8

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Over the last three days, our readings have described the Christian journey in miniature.

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On Monday, we celebrated the birth of our Lord. This is the beginning of any journey of faith – believing in Jesus as Emmanuel, “God with us.”

The image of the Christ-child also serves as an appropriate image for a new believer, whose faith is still small, humble, and weak.

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Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of Saint Stephen, who performed miracles, preached skillfully to crowds, and ministered to widows.

Stephen represents what happens to us when faith begins to mature: we act on it. 

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Today we encounter the third, final stage of the Christian journey: the empty tomb.

After we run the race of life to the finish and keep the faith, it’s our hope to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, whom Mary and the Apostles remind us, was raised from the dead.

May the same Spirit who raised Jesus bring us all to everlasting life.

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Image credits: (1) Getty Images (2) Eugene Burnand, Peter and John Running to the Tomb (3) KCIS 630