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.” LK 2:22-32
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This Gospel reveals that Mary and Joseph were devout Jews. It shows Simeon’s faith as a devout and righteous man who believed in God and trusted Him. We also see the work of the Holy Spirit. Mary and Joseph brought their offering to the temple of two turtle doves, usually parents brought a lamb, but they were poor. How devoted to God are we? Are parents today devoutly bringing their children to Church? Would we wait by the Church if the Holy Spirit inspired us to wait until we saw the Lord? Are we bringing an offering to the Lord even if we are poor? Are we poor or just in great debt for spending money we don’t have foolishly so we have none to give to the Lord? More and more Churches are growing empty, the number of devout parents bringing their children to the Lord is decreasing, and less people are giving their first fruits to the Lord for what He has blessed them with. May we stand firm in faith like Mary and Joseph. May we spend day and night spending time with the Lord. May we bring our children to come to know Christ their Savior and God the Father their Creator. May our diocese flourish in the Stewardship way of life because we recognize where everything we have has come from and we make a devout offering to the Lord each week in thanksgiving for what we have.
Today’s challenge: Be devout to the Lord, bringing your children to Him to be consecrated, spend time praying with them and bringing them to the Lord each Sunday and during the week, make a devout weekly offering to the Lord for what He has blessed you with. Why? Because God’s love is the most powerful thing in the world and it is meant to be shared and passed on from generation to generation until Christ returns.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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