Homily The Presentation of the Lord - Sunday, February 2, 2025 (episode 516)
Malachi 3:1-4;
Psalm 23:7-10. "Who is this King of glory? It is the Lord!"
Hebrews 2:14-18;
Gospel Acclamation: Luke 2:32 Alleluia, alleluia! This is the light of revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people, Israel. Alleluia!
Luke 2:22-40
https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/ATViBBkduCBFTnoXmTqR?ru=Paul-Evangelion
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for The Presentation of the Lord - Sunday, February 2, 2025, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-4/s-Ta4WKiCcaj4 (EPISODE: 516)
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Prologue: This weekend, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord occurs on a Sunday, and as a Feast day of the Lord it overrides the usual Sunday calendar of readings. This feast originated in Jerusalem before the fifth century and was adopted in Rome during the seventh century. Celebrated forty days after Christmas, commemorating the ritual as prescribed by the Law of Moses, which the Holy Family fulfilled at this time when they presented the child Jesus, at the temple. At this time, Luke's Gospel recounts the encounter of Jesus with Simeon and Anna in the temple. This Feast day is also a traditional time in the Christian calendar for the blessing of candles for prayer use, - the blessing of which is found in the introductory rites and the candles are carried in the entrance procession. This is because of the reference by Simeon in his prayerful song.... that Christ is "the light to enlighten all nations". [FHL]
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All of Israel longed and hoped for Christ. Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and so many more, had longed and waited for the fulfilment of God's promises. Waiting, hoping, and longing for the coming of the Lord and the establishment of God's Kingdom in and through the Christ.
We too long and hope that all that God has promised us will one day be completed. Today's feast of the presentation of our Lord reminds us that our hope and deepest longings will be fulfilled by our faithful God. We will be satisfied, for all our longings that match with the values and longings of the Kingdom of God will be fulfilled.
The other theme in the scriptures this weekend include freedom from fear and forgiveness of sin. We can trust that God is an unconditionally loving parent, who sent us his only beloved Son Jesus Christ to save us and to show us his mercy. Christ, who is one of us and who atones for our sins on our behalf, and who is compassionate and trustworthy, and who empathises with our struggles and our temptations.
Christ reveals the truth and the fullness of God's nature. It is not right for us to see God as scary, capricious, temperamental, inconsistent, or some kind of unpleasant being with whom we do not know where we stand, or we don't know if we ever had a chance to be saved. That's not the God Christ presents.
We fear God only in the original sense of that word, of being in awe of God's astounding greatness, his astounding goodness, and astounding mercy. Although we never would dare to act in such a way that we presume on God's forbearance, or take it for granted, or use it as an excuse in advance for doing the wrong thing, we're nevertheless right to trust and hope in humble, penitential confidence for God's care and salvation.
Simeon and Anna are wonderful examples of faithful discipleship.
Anna was said to be always in the temple, praying, hoping, and watching. Simeon was a wonderful God-fearing man, whom the Holy Spirit rested on. They are wonderful expressions of the hope-filled, faithful, prayerful, and loyal disciples of God, which we all strive to be.
Simeon and Anna were representatives of that type of people who are described in the scriptures as the quiet in the land, as in Psalm 35 verse 20. People who lived peaceful, amiable, and religious lives. These peaceful, gentle, and hope-filled people held no desire for a violent or terrible overthrowing of the nation's enemies, nor did they long for a warrior-like Messiah or a dreadful warrior-king arriving to bring down the enemy and subdue them with the force of armies with swords and banners.
Rather, they believed in a life of constant prayer and quiet watchfulness until God should come and bring in the fullness of His kingdom of peace, justice, mercy, and abundance. All their lives they waited quietly, patiently, and peacefully upon God. Simeon and Anna were like that in prayer, in worship, in humble and faithful expectation.
They were waiting for the day when God would arrive and comfort His people. One also gets the strong impression that they weren't just like wallflowers hanging around the temple doing nothing. They were surely putting their faith and prayer into action, engaging with people who visited on pilgrimage, helping people out and listening to their troubles, praying with them and strengthening them.
Being so long in the temple, Anna must have seen countless joys, sorrows, tragedies, and victories of ordinary people's lives and shared with them in their laughter and in their tears.
God had promised Simeon through the Holy Spirit that his life would not end before he had seen God's own anointed King in the flesh. (%%)
Finally, in his advanced old age, Simeon recognized that the baby Jesus, being presented in the temple by his loving mother Mary and his faithful stepfather Joseph, that this child was indeed coming home in a real sense. He was arriving in his heavenly father's house by arriving at the temple. Simeon recognized that this was the long-hoped-for Messiah and King. And of course, Simeon was overjoyed. (%%)
He got to take the child in his arms. And now he was ready to depart in peace, and his words have become another of the great and precious songs of praise that have been taken up afterwards by generations of believers in the church. At last, all-powerful Master, you give leave to your servant to go in peace according to your promise, for my eyes have seen the salvation of the Lord. (%%)
Wonderful! Absolutely beautiful!
We also see in the Gospel, Anna, the widow. She has surely known sorrow, tragedy, and hardship in her long and humble life, and yet she has never lost hope or joy. (%%)
Anna did not let difficulties, sorrows, pain, or advancing age make her hard, bitter, or resentful, or rebellious against God, but rather Anna remained kind, positive, sympathetic, hope-filled, prayerful, faith-filled, and very, very close to God. Anna spent her days in the temple. She sees God as not distant and detached, but rather as intimately connected with her own life and all of our lives, with God having his hand on the helm. (%%)
She was delighted and happy to be a servant in God's house. She never ceased to pray and to worship God. She spent her life in God's house with God's people. (%%)
God gave us his church to be our mother in faith. We really do rob ourselves of a priceless treasure if we neglect to be one with his worshipping people regularly when we can. Anna never ceased to pray. (%%)
Public worship is great, and private worship is also great. As someone once said rather wisely, they pray best together who first pray alone. But these are two aspects of the same thing. Private and public worship are essential. They're complementary aspects of the same thing. The years had left Anna wise and with an unshakable hope because day by day she kept her contact with him who is the source of all strength, and whose strength our weakness is made perfect. %%
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
(%%) - quoted from and adapted from Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of Luke. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press.
https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/ATViBBkduCBFTnoXmTqR?ru=Paul-Evangelion
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click thislink here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love, - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
{Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, copyright 2011 ccwatershed.org. }
"Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul Kelly. Arranged, with additional lyrics and sung by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Today I Arise" - For Patricia Kelly. By Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged, with additional lyrics and sung by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
[ Production - KER 2025]
May God bless and keep you.
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The Presentation of the Lord
(Sunday, February 2, 2025)
(EPISODE: 516)
The Lord be with you.
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{{May Our Lord's gift of hope encourage you.}}
My friends in Christ, to worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us first acknowledge our sins.?
Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy//You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy//You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: Lord, have mercy.//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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The Mystery of the Presentation of the Lord
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side. pwk: LH
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{Thanks everyone and have a grace-filled and compassion-filled week.}
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
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