Fr Kevin Kilgore

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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 value of patience.

Although it feels at times like God is delayed, this Gospel 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 before Simeon’s death. Simeon waited his whole life for that promise to be answered, but finally, when he was old and grey, the Lord appeared in the child Jesus.

It must’ve felt like a thousand years, but God kept his promise.

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What am I waiting for?

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Perhaps we’re waiting on a prayer to be answered; an illness to be cured; a relationship to be restored; this pandemic to end. 

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It’s hard being patient. But good things come to those who wait. 

Even if it feels like a thousand years, for God it’s only a day gone by.

Trust Him. He will act.

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Image credits: (1) RPM Ministries (2) Simeon Holding Jesus, Andrey Shishkin (3) DailyVerses.net

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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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There’s a beautiful, sometimes overlooked, detail in today’s Gospel. 

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After Jesus rose from the dead, he tossed his burial cloths aside – much like we’d toss aside dirty laundry, because he had no further use for them.

But he took the time to roll up the cloth once covering his head, placing it in a separate area.

Why would he do that?

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There was a custom in ancient Israel where a master would drop his napkin on the table when he was finished eating, signaling for his servants to clean the table.

The napkin had served its purpose; it was used, much like dirty laundry.

But if the master folded his napkin, then it meant he wasn’t finished eating; he was coming back.

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Jesus folded his napkin. 

As the Gospel tell us, he “rolled it up in a separate place,” meaning:

“I’m not finished. I’m coming back.”

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Image credits: (1) The Message Hub, WordPress (2) Art and the Bible, Burnand (3) The Exalted Christ

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Gospel: Luke 2: 41-52

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast
of Passover, 
and when he was twelve years old, 
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning, 
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, 
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, 
sitting in the midst of the teachers, 
listening to them and asking them questions, 
and all who heard him were astounded 
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished, 
and his mother said to him, 
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them; 
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
before God and man.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Maybe you’ve heard the old Chinese proverb, “Not one family can put a sign outside their home with the words: No Problems Here.”

Not one family – not even the Holy Family – can say, “No problems here.”

We all experience stress, growing pains, and bumps in the road. 

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Consider the conditions Mary, Joseph, and Jesus experienced that first Christmas night.

They were homeless.  Mary gives birth to Jesus in a stable, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

I don’t know about you, but if I were welcoming my first child into the world, I’d rather be anywhere else than a stable surrounded by animals.

Yet there they were. 

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Then, shortly after Christ’s birth, King Herod tries killing the infant Jesus!

Imagine having just given birth to your first-born child, then being forced to flee your home because the king issued a death warrant for you son.

Nobody dreams of being homeless, persecuted, or a refugee.

But Mary and Joseph had no choice.

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Twelve years later, as we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus gets separated from his family in the temple. When Mary and Joseph find him, they’re exhausted from worrying.

These become the first words Mary speaks to Jesus in scripture: “Why have you done this to us?”

Every parent knows the fear of losing a child. Mary and Joseph were no different, reminding us that not one family, not even the Holy Family, can say, “No problems here.”

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But what makes the Holy Family “holy” isn’t just the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. Our families could never compare with that.

What makes the Holy Family “holy” – and relatable to us – is the fact that they endured all of these trials together.

Being homeless, persecuted, refugees, and losing a child in a crowd must’ve been incredibly stressful experiences.

Yet the Gospels never describe Mary and Joseph in conflict; they don’t yell at each other, they don’t call each other names, or force Jesus to take sides. They endure everything together. 

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Herein lies the invitation for us.

There’s a world of difference between being stressed and being divided.

Every family is stressed from time to time. But we don’t have to be divided.

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What causes stress in my family? Or, what threatens to divide us? 

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It could be as simple as a minor spat at Christmas.

Or, it could be something a little more serious. Perhaps the venom of addiction; unresolved feelings; troubled finances; a daunting illness; an absentee spouse – either physically or emotionally; an angry teenager mad at the world.

Like the Holy Family, it’s possible to remain united in spite of these challenges.

Although it’s much easier said than done, there are three simple phrases that can build us up: Thank you. I love you. I’m sorry. Phrases that should be spoken often, if not every day.

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Not one family, not even the Holy Family, can put a sign outside their home with the words, “No Problems Here.”

At times, every family is tested. But the Holy Family remind us that it’s possible – and better – endure all things together.

May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Les Dawson (2) St. Paul Center (3) FSSPX.news (4) Good Housekeeping