Today’s Gospel: 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." Luke
2:22-24
Reflection: There
are times when rules, regulations and laws are applied uniformly even though
not all fit in the bracket. Some become beneficiaries and some become losers in
the process. A law for receiving first Holy
Communion or the sacrament of confirmation can be uniformly applied as per the
age of the person. The beneficiaries are individuals who may not meet the other
important criteria of reason and maturity.
Hence the many never live up to the expectations or the demands of such
an important sacrament.
In
the Gospel we find that the law for offering the first born should not have applied
to Jesus; for he has come to make of himself a total offering to the Lord. But
if we look closely at the law and its practice, there must have been many first
born in Israel who have been presented to the Lord and how many among them have
really lived up to the demands of the law?
Christ
Jesus came to make of himself a total offering. He was to set the trend which
St. Paul later exhorts the Christians to imitate; “I appeal to you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Rom 12:1
The first step towards this act is to grow in worshipping the
Lord, through the process of purification and cleansing in his presence. The
act of perfect worship is accomplished through much purification, it is also an
act of total surrender to God and his holy will.
Prayer:
Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me thy
ordinances. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget thy law. Ps 119:108-109
DD = Dedicated Discipleship: Come grow in the Lord with us
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