Sunday Gospel Reflection
The favor of God was upon him

Introduction:

What Do We Present to the Lord?
What do you spend most of your time thinking about during worship on Sunday?

You wouldn't be reading this article if you were not committed to a relationship with God. But, what is the quality of your relationship? God gives us all good gifts, including his best. What do we offer him in return? Is it the most precious thing we possess? Or does it come from our surplus?

God wants for our best. And we have an example of Mary and Joseph offered their most precious gift to God. To show us that as God gives, we should give.

First Reading
Malachi 3:1-4

1 "Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? "For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap;
3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the LORD.
4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Second Reading
Hebrews 2:14-18

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.
16 For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham.
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people.
18 For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted

Gospel Reading
Luke 2:22-40

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;
30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel."
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him;
34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in  Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against
35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband  seven years from her virginity,
37 and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Bible Study

In the context of the Christmas season, that study focused upon the identity of Jesus. This study places its upon the other characters in the story and their activity: the worship of God.

The scene began with the arrival of the Holy Family in Jerusalem to fulfill a religious duty. Luke's interpretation of the duty was based upon two traditions: the circumcision of the Jesus and the purification of the mother. Unfortunately, Luke's ignorance of Jewish traditions was obvious.

Luke used two bible passages in 2:22-24. The first passage was: "Every male that opens (his mother's) womb will be called holy to the Lord" (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15). As God was the giver of life, he was to be offered life. The first male (if human, the chief heir; if animal, the guarantee of a flock/herd's strength) was to be returned to God. In the case of animals (except the ass, which was unclean), sacrifice was dictated. In the case of a male child, a substitute offering was to be made.

The second passage was: "A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons" (Leviticus 12:8). Leviticus 12 described the circumcision of a male child and the unclean status of the new mother. The rite of purification for a mother was the burnt sacrifice of a lamb and the sacrifice of a turtledove as a sin offering. A pair of doves or pigeons could be substituted for the lamb/dove if the woman was poor.

Luke included the firstborn's substitute sacrifice with that of the offering for a woman's purification. Thematically, he presented a "two-for-one" offering. Why did he compress these traditions into one event? To focus upon the worship of God through offering.

In the presentation of the Lord, Luke foreshadowed the ministry of the young Messiah. Many contemporaries of Jesus had particular images of the Messiah. For them, the Messiah would be both king and high priest, leading the people in true worship at the Temple. The Temple was the focal point for Jewish worship, for the people believed God truly dwelt there (see Isaiah 6). But, Jesus (and the evangelists) had different ideas. The Messiah would worship God as one of the people, not above or beyond the people. He would teach the people in the Temple as a populist. After all, the Messiah came to show all God was with his people, even in their worship.

To emphasize that point, Luke presented only the laity in the scene: Simeon, the Spirit-filled worshiper, and Anna, the elderly prophetess (not included in this gospel). Compare Simeon with the figure of Zechariah who stumbled on the message of Gabriel (Luke 1:5-23). Notice both men were faithful Jews. Both, according to their station, worshiped in the Temple. But, while Zechariah had the privilege of position, Simeon was full of the Spirit [2:25-27a]. Zechariah the priest did not understand the power and message of God. Simeon the lay man did.

After the sacrifice (but still within the Temple), Simeon encountered the couple and the young Jesus. In his Canticle, Simeon proclaimed the fulfillment of God's promise to himself (and implicitly, to the people). Now he could die in Shalom, the peace only God could give. [2:29] Why? Because Simeon witnessed firsthand the universal  Messiah ("the light to the nations") born from God's people (for "the glory of Israel"). Notice that Simeon made these statements in the Temple, a place of pilgrimage for faithful Jews from the Diaspora and for the Gentiles who worshiped YHWH on the courtyard outside the Temple. So, he proclaimed what God had done "in the sight of the nations." In other words, a Spirit-filled lay man saw what God had revealed in his Temple to the faithful from all over the known world. The Messiah was here!

Meditation/Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you and what inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you ?

.  The people present God with the best they received from him. In turn, God presents them with a gift for all.
   -----What gifts has God given to you? How have you returned those gifts back to him? What do God's gifts to you say to others?

. We all receive from God. And he calls us to give back to him. Our gifts and our lives. The quality of the gift we give will never outdo the gift he gives to us. But the gift we offer does shout volumes to others. In this sense, worship becomes evangelization. Our offering invites others to worship and, like, Simeon, to proclaim Jesus as the "light to the nations."
  -----Reflect on your worship. What specific gifts can you bring to God's altar this week?

.  Simeon's life was satisfied by seeing Jesus. What are you looking for in this life? What would   satisfy you?

. What do the people around you consider as their goal, their satisfaction, or their salvation, by the way they live? How much does that influence you?

Prayer

Lord, may I never cease to hope in you and to trust in your promises.  Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always recognize your saving presence in my life. Help me to point others to Christ and to be an example of faith and devotion as Simeon and Anna were to their generation.