Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
6TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
Psalter: Week 1 / (White)
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96: 7-8a, 8b-9, 10: Let the heaven be glad and the earth rejoice!
1st Reading: 1 John 2: 12-17
My dear children, I write this to you: you have already received the forgiveness of your sins, through the name of Jesus. Fathers, I write this to you: you know him, who is from the beginning. Young men, I write this to you: you have overcome the evil one. My dear children, I write to you, because you already know the Father.
Fathers, I write to you, because you know him, who is from the beginning. Young men, I write to you, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, who have, indeed, overcome the evil one.
Do not love the world, or what is in it. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world— the craving of the flesh, the greed of eyes and people boasting of their superiority— all this, belongs to the world, not to the Father.
The world passes away with all its craving, but those who do the will of God remain forever.
Gospel: Luke 2: 36: 40
There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s home, she had been seven years with her husband; and since then, she had been continually about the temple, serving God, as a widow, night and day, in fasting and prayer. She was now eighty-four. Coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, and spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There, the child grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon him.
Reflection:
“Presentation of Jesus.”
In the Lucan Infancy Narrative, there is an episode that narrates the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem. The presentation of the baby Jesus is placed toward the end of the Lucan Infancy Narrative. The episodes from the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to the birth of Jesus, are all put in a joyful setting. However, the joyous atmosphere becomes sublime in the episode of the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple. Aside from the parents and the baby Jesus, two more other characters were presented successively: Simeon and Anna.
Today’s pericope presents the narrative which includes the prophetess Anna, who was then eighty-four years old. After seven years of her marriage, her husband died. And from that time on, she was in the temple continually serving God. At the time of the presentation of the baby Jesus, she came up and gave praise to God. She spoke of the child to all who were longing for the deliverance of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city of peace. Now, the Prince of peace was born to deliver Jerusalem from whatever is opposite of peace. What a sublime joy!
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