Readings for Sunday, February 2, 2025
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Lectionary: 524
Festa tal-Preżentazzjoni tal-Mulej
Reading 1 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.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Malakija 3,1-4
Dan jgħid il-Mulej Alla: Arawni, sa nibgħat il-messaġġier tiegħi iwitti t-triq quddiemi. U jasal minnufih fit-tempju tiegħu s-Sid mistenni minnkom. U dan l-Anġlu tal-patt, li intom imxennqa għalih, dalwaqt ġej. Hekk jgħid il-Mulej tal-eżerċti. Min sa jiflaħ għal-jum il-miġja tiegħu? Min sa jżomm fuq riġlejh għad-dehra tiegħu? Għax hu bħan-nar tal-ħaddied, bħas-soder fin tal-ħassiela! Jintefa’ bilqiegħda jdewweb u jnaddaf il-fidda, u jsaffi u jirfina n-nisel ta’ Levi bħallikieku deheb u fidda. Huma mbagħad jersqu quddiem il-Mulej b’offerta xierqa. U ssir togħġbu lill-Mulej kull offerta ta’ art Ġuda u Ġerusalemm, bħal fiż-żmien imbiegħed, bħal fis-snin ta’ qabel. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10
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!
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 23, 7-10
R/. Il-Mulej hu s-Sultan tal-Glorja.
Intrefgħu, o bibien,
infetħu, intom bibien ta’ dejjem,
ħalli jidħol is-Sultan tal-glorja! R/.
Min hu dan is-Sultan tal-glorja?
Hu l-Mulej setgħan u qawwi,
il-Mulej qawwi fit-taqbida. R/.
Intrefgħu, o bibien,
infetħu, intom bibien ta’ dejjem,
ħalli jidħol is-Sultan tal-glorja! R/.
Min hu dan is-Sultan tal-glorja?
Hu l-Mulej tal-eżerċti:
dan hu s-Sultan tal-glorja! R/.
Reading 2 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.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 2, 14-18
Billi l‐ulied għandhom l‐istess demm u ġisem, Ġesù wkoll bl‐istess mod sar bħalhom, biex b’mewtu jeqred is‐setgħa ta’ dak li kellu l‐mewt f’idejh, jiġifieri x‐xitan, u jeħles ’il dawk kollha li, minħabba fil‐biża’ tal‐mewt, kienu mjassrin għal għomorhom kollu. Għax tabilħaqq, mhux lill‐anġli jrid jgħin, imma lil ulied Abraham. Għalhekk kellu jkun jixbah lil ħutu f’kollox, biex ikun qassis ħanin u fidil f’dak li għandu x’jaqsam ma’ Alla, u biex ipatti għad‐dnubiet tal‐poplu. Għax, billi hu stess bata u kien imġarrab, jaf jgħin ’il dawk li huma fit‐tiġrib. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel Luke 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 -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 favour of God was upon him.
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Luqa: 2, 22-40
Meta għalqilhom iż-żmien għat-tisfija tagħhom, skont il-Liġi ta’ Mosè, ħadu lil Ġesù f’Ġerusalemm biex jippreżentawh lill-Mulej, bħalma hu miktub fil-Liġi tal-Mulej, ‘Kull tifel li jitwieled l-ewwel wieħed, ikun ikkonsagrat lill-Mulej,’ u biex joffru b’sagrifiċċju ‘par gamiem jew żewġ bċieċen,’ kif jingħad fil-Liġi tal-Mulej. Kien hemm f’Ġerusalemm raġel jismu Xmun. Dan kien raġel ġust u tajjeb, li kien jistenna l-faraġ ta’ Israel, u l-Ispirtu s-Santu kien fuqu. U kien imnebbaħ mill-Ispirtu s-Santu li ma kienx sa jara l-mewt qabel ma jara lil Kristu l-Mulej. Ġie mela fit-Tempju, imqanqal mill-Ispirtu, u xħin il-ġenituri ġiebu t-tarbija Ġesù biex jagħmlulu dak li kienet trid il-Liġi, huwa ħadu fuq dirgħajh, bierek ’l Alla u qal: “Issa, o Sid, tista’ tħalli l-qaddej tiegħek imur fis-sliem, skont kelmtek; għaliex għajnejja raw is-salvazzjoni tiegħek, li int ħejjejt għall-popli kollha: dawl biex idawwal il-ġnus, u glorja tal-poplu tiegħek Israel.” Missieru u ommu baqgħu mistagħġba b’dak li kien qiegħed jingħad fuqu. Xmun berikhom, u qal lil Marija, ommu: “Ara, dan sa jġib il-waqgħa u l-qawmien ta’ ħafna f’Israel; sa jkun sinjal u jmeruh – u int ukoll, min-naħa tiegħek, sejf jinfidlek ruħek! – ħalli jinkixfu l-ħsibijiet moħbija ta’ ħafna.” Kien hemm ukoll waħda profetissa, Anna, bint Fanwel, mit-tribù ta’ Aser. Din kienet imdaħħla ħafna fiż-żmien; wara xbubitha kienet għamlet seba’ snin miżżewġa, u mbagħad baqgħet armla. Sakemm kellha erbgħa u tmenin sena ma kinitx titwarrab mit- Tempju, lejl u nhar taqdi fis-sawm u t-talb. Dak il-ħin stess waslet, u bdiet tfaħħar ’l Alla u titkellem fuq it-tarbija ma’ dawk kollha li kienu jistennew il-fidwa ta’ Ġerusalemm. Meta temmew kulma kellhom jagħmlu skont il-Liġi tal-Mulej, reġgħu lura lejn il-Galilija, fil-belt tagħhom Nazaret. U t-tifel baqa’ jikber u jitqawwa u jimtela bl-għerf. U l-grazzja t’Alla kienet fuqu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Introduction:
The central theme of Sunday’s readings is the overflowing mercy and kindness of a loving, healing, and forgiving God for His children.
Central theme:
Next Sunday’s Gospel presents the head of the Holy Family, Joseph, faithfully obeying God’s law given through Moses concerning the purification of the mother and the redeeming of the child, by presenting Mary and the Baby Jesus in the Temple. The events recounted appear elsewhere in the liturgical year but are those we traditionally celebrate this Sunday, February 2nd, with the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus. In fact,the creche at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is left in place until today, marking the end of Christmas season.
The Story of the Presentation of the Lord:
At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany, the observance of Christ’s birth, and the gala procession in honour of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later. Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish worship.
This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than Mary’s purification. The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas. At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: (Candlemas Day). https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/presentation-of-the-lord/)
This Feast Day is known under four names:
1) The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (by prayers and the payment of “five shekels to a member of the priestly family” (Nm 3:47-48; NAB Note on Lk 2:22), to redeem or buy the firstborn male child back from the Lord’s service).
2) The Hypanthe feast or Feast of the Purification of Mary (by the offering two pigeons in the Temple).
3) The Feast of Encounter (because the New Testament, represented by the Baby Jesus, encountered the Old Testament, represented by the Holy Spirit’s aged, holy witnesses, Simeon and Anna). On February 2nd, we celebrate these events as a formal ending of the Christmas season. In a sense, this feast celebrates the meeting point of the two “Testaments” for Catholic-Christians: the old and new. Jesus, who is the new Temple of God, enters the ancient temple. Jesus, who ushers in the law of love, comes to visit his people in a place in which the law of sacrifice was fulfilled, thus, bringing to fulfilment obedience to the Law and ushering in the last times of salvation (Pope Benedict XVI).
4) The Feast of Candlemas. This feast is also known as Candlemas because of the tradition of blessing and distributing candles and holding a candlelight procession on this day. These practices are drawn from Simeon’s words in the gospel for this feast, in which he prophesies that the child Jesus will become “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”
Redemption and Post-childbirth Purification ceremonies:
The Mosaic Law taught that, since every Jewish male child belonged to Yahweh, the parents had to “buy back” the child (“redeem” him); this is known as the “Pidyon haBen” Service) with the payment of “five shekels (=15 Denarius= wage for 15 days of work) to a member of the priestly family” (Nm 3:47-48; NAB Note on Lk 2:22). In addition, (Nm 18:15) every mother had to be purified after childbirth by prayers and the sacrifice of a lamb (or two turtledoves for the poor) in the Temple. Joseph kept these laws as an act of obedience to God.
The encounter with Simeon and Anna, (the Temple elders):
By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the old, pious, Spirit-filled Simeon and the very old prayerful, fasting widow, Anna, both of whom had been waiting for the revelation of God’s salvation, were present in the Temple the day Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to Present Him to the Father. Simeon recognized Jesus as the Lord’s Anointed One, and in his prayer of blessing, he prophesied that Jesus was meant to be the glory of Israel and a Light of revelation to the Gentiles.
While he blessed Mary, Simeon warned that her child would be “set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign of contradiction” and that “a sword will pierce through your own soul. Simeon was prophesying both the universal salvation that would be proclaimed by Jesus and the necessity of suffering in the mission of the Messiah. (Pope Francis: The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is also known as the Feast of the Encounter: the Liturgy says at the beginning that Jesus goes to meet his people. Thus, this is the encounter between Jesus and his people, when Mary and Joseph brought their child to the Temple in Jerusalem; the first encounter between Jesus and his people, represented by Simeon and Anna, took place.
It was also the first encounter within the history of the people, a meeting between the young and the old: the young were Mary and Joseph with their infant son and the old were Simeon and Anna, two people who often went to the Temple. St. Luke underlines, more than once, that they were guided by the Holy Spirit. He says Simeon was a righteous and devout man, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and that “the Holy Spirit was upon him” (2:25). He says that “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit” that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (v. 26); and finally, that he went to the Temple “inspired by the Spirit “(v. 27). He says Anna was a “prophetess” (v. 36); that is, she was inspired by God and that she was always “worshipping with fasting and prayer” in the Temple (v. 37).
In short, these two elders are full of life! They are full of life because they are enlivened by the Holy Spirit, obedient to His action, sensitive to His calls. In the light of this Gospel scene, let us look at consecrated life as an encounter with Christ: it is he who comes to us, led by Mary and Joseph, and we go towards him guided by the Holy Spirit. He is at the centre. He moves everything, he draws us to the Temple, to the Church, where we can meet him, recognize him, welcome him, embrace him.).(https://www.popefrancishomilies.com/presentation-of-the-lord).
Life messages:
1) Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Saviour Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness, both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God, and that we are obliged to lead holy lives. Let us also remember and pray for our godparents who presented us to the Lord on the day of our Baptism.
2) Pope Francis: We need to honour the elderly and respect their wisdom earned through experience: It’s good for the elderly to communicate their wisdom to the young; and it’s good for the young people to gather this wealth of experience and wisdom, and to carry it forward, not so as to safeguard it in a museum, but to carry it forward addressing the challenges that life brings, to carry it forward for the sake of the respective religious orders and of the whole Church.
3) Let us put ourselves in God’s presence: Simeon and Anna are an example to those of us of every age that we can rewire our brains and our souls to put ourselves in the presence of God in our everyday lives. In the ordinariness of our everyday temples of work and home and school and church, we can listen to the prompting of God’s Spirit, perceive God afoot in the mundane, and gracefully live in constant expectation of God adventing in our lives. We can daily experience the power of Christ’s presence point Christ out to others.
////////////////////////////////////// Fr Tony's Homilies © 2025. / https://frtonyshomilies.com /
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