Gospel
Luke 2:22-40
22 And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: 23 As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: 24 And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons: 25 And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him.
26 And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 He also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: 29 Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; 30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: 32 A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; 35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. 37 And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. 38 Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. 39 And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him.
Although our Lord condemned many of the religious leaders of His day as “hypocrites” and “white-washed tombs”, it is important to remember that there were many religious Jews who were anxiously awaiting the Messiah and open to the Holy Spirit. God promised never to abandon His people, and He kept His word. These faithful Jews should stand as great examples to us, for without them we would have no Church. The faith of Simeon and Anna, Saints Anne and Joachim who were the Blessed Virgin Mary’s parents, Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist, the Blessed Virgin Mary herself, Saint Joseph and all the Holy Apostles… without these devoutly religious Jews, there would be no Christianity. These were the faithful “remnant” who saw the prophecies of God fulfilled. They were not wealthy or powerful. They were not religious leaders or officials. They were humble servants.
The early Church was very Semitic in nature, being comprised predominately of Jews. The Church was seen with great suspicion by Greece, Rome and the other nations of the time, as well as being rejected and persecuted by those Jews who refused to accept Christ. Antisemitism was one reason for the persecution of the early Church. But, Christianity was also a threat to the religions of those nations and their societal norms. Kings and emperors were worshiped as gods and their authority was closely tied to their pagan religions. As the gentiles converted to Christianity and rejected pagan worship and culture, it slowly brought about change. The Christians were not aggressive. They respected earthy authority. But, through charity and love of neighbor, they slowly converted those nations to Christianity. Often, the worse they were persecuted and martyred, the example of their faith and courage was most effective in converting pagans, showing that what they believed was worth being tortured and dying.
Studying the lives of the Saints, whether those in the Bible, the martyrs of the early Church or the many who have followed over the last 2,000 years is one of the best ways to enrich our faith. We are incredibly blessed as Catholics to have more than “the Bible alone” as is the Protestant tradition. We have full and complete, accurate Bibles (they do not as Martin Luther stripped books that disagreed with his doctrine and changed the words of Jesus), Sacred Tradition as passed down through the Holy Apostles and their successors, the writings of the Doctors of the Church and the greatest theologians and religious minds of all time, and the biographies of the saints. While much of the writings of those great minds take a great deal of, education, prayer and meditation to understand, the saints were often humble and simple people. The saints are approachable to all who may follow their example of deep faith and devotion to God. Moreover, by definition, the saints are alive in Heaven with our Lord. We, as Catholics, have the incredible gift of communicating with them through prayer and benefiting from their prayers for us, their love and guidance. This is the “Communion of Saints”, and as Saint Paul said, “we are surrounded by a great could of witnesses”
Take some time to get to know your family today, the Family of God, the Communion of Saints. Make friends with those in the Bible and the many who lived holy lives after the close of the Bible. Let the friends of God, which is one definition for sainthood, be your family. Let His family be your family. And, thank God you are Catholic!
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.
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