February 2
The Presentation of Jesus
oday we are celebrating
the coming of our Savior and his mother to the temple: let us imitate the
people who met him there. First there was the saintly Simeon who, led to
the temple by the Spirit, took the child in his arms and blessed the Lord.
The widow Anna, a devout woman, came at the same time, gave thanks to God
and spoke of the child to everyone who awaited the ransoming of Israel.
Let us also come to meet Jesus and rejoice greatly as we take him in the
arms of our good works; let us proclaim his great name, and tell of his
mercy and the wonderful things he has done for us who await the ransoming
of Jerusalem and the comforting of Israel. The psalmist foresaw that comforting
by the light of the Spirit when he said: You will gladden us, Lord,
with the joy of your presence; everlasting delights are in your right hand.
May Christ our Savior bring this desire of ours to fulfillment, for
he took flesh for us and gave himself up to ransom us with his own blood,
and he lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever. Amen.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
