Wednesday February 2

Wednesday of 4th Week in Ordinary Time

PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

 

We follow Christ Our Light

Greetings (See Second Reading)
Jesus shared the same flesh and blood than we
So that he could become completely
Like his brothers and sisters
And, compassionate and trustworthy,
Atone for our human sins.
May this Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And with your spirit.

Introduction

Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Child and Lord Jesus in the Temple. Eastern Churches call this feast: “the encounter”. Jesus comes to the Temple to encounter his people in the persons of Simeon and Anna, who stand for the Old Testament or Covenant. They recognize Jesus as the long-expected hope of Israel. He is to lead God’s people into the New Testament or Covenant and from now on all are invited to follow the Lord Jesus. We recognize today Jesus as the light of our life, and with lighted candles in our hands we are following him: we become lights of Christ our Light.

Blessings of candles
Let us pray that the Lord may kindle in our hearts the fire to follow Jesus our light
            (pause)
God our Father, you are the true light.
When you speak, darkness gives way to light,
The world reflects your brightness,
We can live in the light of your love.
As we carry these lighted candles into the Church
Make our faces and heart radiate with your glory.
With your Son, make is children of the light,
Keep us from the darkness of sin;
Lead us to your everlasting light
Through him who is our way, our truth, and life,
And the light of the world,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Procession
Let us go in peace to meet the Lord.

Mass
In the Mass with the blessing of candles, there is no penitential act after the entrance song; the Mass continues with the Gloria and the Opening Prayer. In other Masses of the day without blessing of candles, the following penitential act could be used:

Penitential Act
We have at times followed other “lights”
than Christ, the true Light.
We ask now the Lord to forgive us
(pause)
Lord Jesus, let your light guide us
on the road to the Father:
Lord have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, shine on us
the light of your truth and wisdom of the Spirit:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus, let the light of your mercy
gather all nations in your love:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us our sins.
May we walk in the light of Christ
into everlasting light. R/ Amen.

Prayer
Let us pray that with Jesus our light
we may set resolutely
in the road of renewal.
            (Pause)
Our God and Father,
It is hard for us to say farewell
To all that looks familiar and safe:
our settled ways, our self-complacency,
our certainties, our practices.
We offer our self with Jesus our Lord
and ask for the strength to follow his light.
Help us to accept with him
the insecurity of true renewal
and to bring to all around us
the light and warmth of your Son.
Let this be the sacrifice we offer you today
with Jesus, and Mary his Mother.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Reading 1: Mal 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: PS 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 2: Heb 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: Lk 2:32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Lk 2:22-40
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
Band you yourself a sword will pierced
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.

 

Or LK 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.”

 

Intercessions:
Let us pray to our Lord Jesus, who is the saving light of all nations and the glory of his people, and let us say:

R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For the Church, that it may show the world the true face of Christ and be the sign that in him all are to be saved, let us pray:

 R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For the pope, and for all in the Church who render a service of authority, that they may have the courage to speak out and act in the name of truth and justice, and that they bear witness to the love of Christ, let us pray:

 R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For all fathers and mothers, that they may inspire their children by their own way of living, to follow the light of Christ, let us pray:

R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For all Christians, that the Spirit of the Lord may guide them to be true to their conscience, let us pray:

R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For the poor, the sick, and the discouraged, that they may still keep their eyes turned to the light of Christ and that they may discover it particularly in dedicated Christians, let us pray:

R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For all of us in this community, that we may be at least a pale reflection of the light of Christ, let us pray:

R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
Lord Jesus Christ, without you we walk in the dark. Let your light shine brightly in us, that we may become in our limited way your light to the world, for you are our light shining bright now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you ask of us to accept with faith
your word spoken by your messengers
and above all by your living Word, Jesus Christ.
Make us truly recognize and welcome
the humble coming of your Son
in these simple signs of bread and wine.
Let his word and that of his prophets
take root in us and change us
into a community in which prevail
the love, the justice and the forgiveness
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us offer the prayer of Jesus to our Father in heaven. R/ Our Father…

 

Deliver us
Deliver us, Lord, from the darkness of sin
and let the light of your love and peace
shine on us, your people.
Purify your Church, that it may bear witness
to the light of the gospel
in a world torn with wars and strife.
Let your kindly light lead us forward
in hope and joy,
as we work for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ Amen.

 

Invitation to Communion
This is our Lord Jesus Christ
who is the light that come into the world
to enlighten all people.
Happy re we to share in his offering
and to receive him as the bread of life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…

 

Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
You spoke your mighty Word to the world
and there was light.
You have spoken your Word Jesus Christ among us
and there is light in our minds and hearts.
Do not allow us to keep this light of Jesus
hidden under the shade of our mediocrity,
but let it shine in our words and deeds,
that it may brighten the footsteps
of all people in search of the truth.
We ask this on account of him,
who is the light and the guiding star of our lives,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing
Lead, kindly light!
Let Christ lead us all
on the bright path of goodness and love,
that we may reach our destiny
and reflect the Lord’s light
on the people around us.
May Almighty God bless us for this task,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and take the light of Christ with you
to let it shine on all. R/ Thanks be to God.

 

Commentary:

Consecrating Children

Simeon and Anna sensed something special about baby Jesus who didn’t seem any different from other babies brought to the temple, because their spiritual antennae were sharp enough to pick up resonances of the Spirit. The truth is, every child is special and brings with it the message of God’s deep love for humanity. As Pablo Picasso said, “every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” They lose the artistry precisely because we adults fail to see it in them and nurture it. As Nelson Mandela remarked, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Child abuse can only exist in a world which has lost its own sense of transcendence. Today we pray for all the victims of child abuse. Today we consecrate all children of the world to God.

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF

 

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