Daily Feast February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Candlemas. It is based on the Scripture passage in Luke 2:22-40 where the Holy Family journeys to Jerusalem forty days after the birth of Jesus to present him to God and offer sacrifice in the temple. At this time Mary completes the ritual purification required of women after childbirth, and Joseph offers the sacrifice for the redemption of the firstborn, as required by the Law of Moses. The Holy Family offered two turtledoves, permitted to the poor instead of a whole lamb. During their time in the temple Simeon gave his famous prophecy about the Christ Child being a light to the Gentile nations and a sign for the Jews, and that a sword would pierce Mary's soul. On this day the Church has a special ritual involving a procession and the blessing of candles, a symbol of Christ whose birth illumined the world's darkness. Quote: "Without a doubt, obedience is more meritorious than any other penance. And what greater penance can there be than keeping one's will continually submissive and obedient?" -St. Catherine of Bologna Today's Meditation "In this valley of tears, every man is born to weep, and all must suffer, by enduring the evils that take place every day. But how much greater would be the misery of life, if we also knew the future evils that await us! 'Unfortunate, indeed, would be the situation of someone who knows the future', says the pagan Roman philosopher Seneca; 'he would have to suffer everything by anticipation'. Our Lord shows us this mercy. He conceals the trials that await us so that, whatever they may be, we may endure them only once. But he didn't show Mary this compassion. God willed her to be the Queen of Sorrows, and in all things like his Son. So she always had to see before her eyes, and continually to suffer, all the torments that awaited her. And these were the sufferings of the passion and death of her beloved Jesus. For in the temple, St. Simeon, having received the divine Child in his arms, foretold to her that her Son would be a sign for all the persecutions and oppositions of men. ... Jesus our King and his most holy mother didn't refuse, for love of us, to suffer such cruel pains throughout their lives. So it's reasonable that we, at least, should not complain if we have to suffer something." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 223
An excerpt from A Year with Mary Daily Verse "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." -Psalm 27:4 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | Saint Lawrence of Canterbury St. Lawrence of Canterbury (d. 619 A.D.) was among the original band of missionaries sent from Rome to evangelize England with St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. As a fruit of their labor the region's most powerful ruler, the King of Kent, became a baptized Christian along with many of his countrymen. When Augustine died, Lawrence became Canterbury's second Archbishop. He was a zealous leader and urged the Celtic bishops to keep peace and unity with Rome. When the King of Kent died, his pagan son caused great damage to the faith of the people and the mission work which had been done among them; because of this, some of the missionaries fled to Gaul. Lawrence was so upset by the abandonment of Christianity among his flock that he considered abandoning his bishopric as well. In response, St. Peter the Apostle appeared to him in a vision, rebuked him, and scourged him so badly that Lawrence had physical marks on his body from the encounter. St. Lawrence then relayed his vision to the king and showed him his wounds, causing the king to convert to the Christian faith as his father did. St. Lawrence's feast day is February 2nd. | Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Lectionary: 524 Reading I Malachi 3:1-4 Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in the days of old, as in years gone by. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10 R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory? The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! Reading II Hebrews 2:14-18 Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested. Alleluia Luke 2:32 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32 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." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce-
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  click to see website | | Daily Meditation: Mark 4:26-34 This is how it is with the Kingdom of God. (Mark 4:26) We generally read the first parable in today's Gospel as if the man who scatters the seed is God, we are the soil, and the seed is God's kingdom growing within and around us. But what if we looked at ourselves as the farmer instead? After all, we are all called to spread the good news that God sent his Son to save us from the grip of sin. We are supposed to be God's instruments in the world. In this reading of the parable, our words and actions are the ways that we scatter the seeds of the gospel and influence the people around us. This means that every time you take your children to church, offer words of consolation to a suffering friend, or donate your time to a charity that helps the poor, you are planting a seed that may lead someone to understand how deeply God cares for them. But notice how the man in the parable scatters the seeds but really doesn't understand how the seeds sprout. "He knows not how," Jesus says (Mark 4:27). He simply follows his routine—he "would sleep and rise night and day"—and the land produces a harvest "of its own accord" (4:27-28). In other words, the man doesn't control much here, and neither do we. We don't completely know how our attempts to witness to our faith affect the people around us. A small act of kindness to a stranger that we quickly forget, for instance, may have a much bigger impact than we expect. Or an invitation for a friend to join you at a parish event might come at just the right time for them. You may not know the outcome, but God delights in your willingness to scatter your seeds. The truth is that the more you spend time with Jesus and ask him to form and shape you, the better equipped you will be to share his love when the opportunity arises. That's how you live out your calling to evangelize. So don't lose sight of the real power behind the spread of the kingdom of God—and try to entrust the outcome to the Lord. Remember that farmer whose crops grew on their own! Even if you don't see results right away, trust that God will provide the growth. If he could change the world through men and women of no special status, can't he also do amazing things through you? "Father, work through me to plant seeds of faith." 2 Samuel 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17
Psalm 51:3-7, 10-11 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...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." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; ...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today's Gospel tells the story of the presentation of Jesus in the temple. The temple was, in practically a literal sense, the dwelling place of the Lord. In the temple, divinity and humanity embraced, and the human race was brought back online with God. But the sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the temple. Therefore, one of the deepest aspirations of Israel's people was to reestablish the temple as the place of right praise so that the glory of the Lord might return. When Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the temple, therefore, we are meant to appreciate that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The glory of Yahweh is returning to his favorite dwelling. And this is precisely what Simeon sees. The old seer is a symbol of ancient Israel, watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon knew all of the old prophecies; he embodied the expectation of the nation; and the Holy Spirit had given him the revelation that he would not die until he had laid eyes on his Savior." end quote.
Something caught my attention, and it took my on a tangent.
The Gospel says that there was Simeon at the temple, waiting all his life to see the promised one.
He said " "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."
This made me reflect along with other reflections about what had happened with the Glory of God in the Temple that used to reside there from the beginning in the Holy of Holies.
It is said that when the people turned to idolatry, He left.
And the destruction and mayhem began at Babylon. The protection left. Things were never really the same after that according to the prophet Ezekiel.
Ai said: "In Catholic and biblical understanding, the "glory of the Lord" (Shekinah) departed the Holy Temple in a gradual, step-by-step process during the Babylonian exile, culminating in Ezekiel 10–11. This occurred because of Israel's rampant idolatry and sin, moving from the Holy of Holies to the threshold, then to the East Gate, and finally leaving the city entirely."
This was about the year 586 BC.
Then I asked where this happened. It said "Due to rampant idolatry and sin, the Glory moved from the Holy of Holies to the threshold, then the East Gate, and finally rested on the Mount of Olives before ascending."
And then I asked about the mount of Olives, and heard of so many things our Lord Jesus:
"n Catholic tradition, the Mount of Olives is a sacred site symbolizing Jesus' intense humanity, obedience, and ultimate victory, serving as the location for his agony in Gethsemane, his teaching of the Our Father, and his Ascension. It is heavily associated with his Passion, prayer, and the prophecy of his Second Coming".
The Holy of Holies is Jesus. The Glory is restored, in Jesus.
His Holy Presence is in every Catholic Church in the Blessed Sacrament. How often do we tend to Him? Are we seeking Him truly? Are we ready for His 2nd coming? Or are we too, lost in idolatry?
We don't have little gods like they did, but our idols have changed, our ideals and trust has changed as we hear described: "In Catholic understanding, modern idolatry is
the "divinizing" of creatures, material goods, or self-centered desires over God, breaking the First Commandment by placing supreme trust, love, or devotion elsewhere. Key modern idols include money, power, fame, technology, career, and comfort, as well as narcissism (self-idolatry) and ideological systems like excessive consumerism."
It is true, is it not?
Lord, we become lost so easily, we lose You when we sin, we lose You when we trust other things or people more than You.
We lose sight fast. Help us Lord to be obedient, and trusting as Mother Mary and Saint Joseph. Help us live Thy holy will. Help us never lose sight, and love and faith in You ever again. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
