The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 2: 22-35
December 29, 2023 | Friday
When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the baby up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
There lived in Jerusalem, at this time, a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord
would comfort Israel; and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So, he was led into the temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law.
Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see. Here is the light you will reveal to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Know this: your son is a sign; a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”
Today’s Reflection:.
“Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God” The old prophet Simeon is the symbol of all the longings of the chosen people and of all humanity for the coming of the promised Messiah. Today’s gospel text is full of yearning for the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation for His people. It speaks of that longing in the deepest recesses of the human heart for salvation, a longing for peace and rest in the company of God. The celebration of Christmas reminds us that God is faithful to His promises and that He fulfills them according to His own time.. / Vulnerasti, 2023
