Optional Memorial of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29th Lk. 2:22-35 “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.”
Part 1: The Light Whose Brilliance is Eternal… from a sermon by Saint Sophronius
Part 2: PRESENTATION OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
PART 1: The Light Whose Brilliance is Eternal… from a sermon by Saint Sophronius
The true Light has come, the Light that enlightens every man who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and made radiant by this Light. Let all of us share in its splendor, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the aged Simeon the Light whose brilliance is eternal.
Rejoicing with Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the Light, who sent the true Light to dispel the darkness and to give us all a share in His splendor. Through Simeon’s eyes we too have seen the salvation of God which He prepared for all the nations and revealed as the glory of the new Israel, which is ourselves. As Simeon was released from the bonds of this life when he had seen Christ, so too we were at once freed from our old state of sinfulness.
By faith we too embraced Christ, the salvation of God the Father, as He came to us from Bethlehem. Gentiles before, we have now become the people of God. Our eyes have seen God Incarnate, and because we have seen Him present among us and have mentally received Him into our arms, we are called the new Israel. Never shall we forget this presence; every year we keep a feast in its honor.
PART 2: PRESENTATION OF THE JESUS IN THE TEMPLE… by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
MEDITATION / CONTEMPLATION
1. CHILD JESUS IN THE ARMS OF MARY. Now we come to the Infant Jesus in the arms of Mary when He is barely forty days old. Contemplate Mary gently holding her treasure—the Lord Jesus, the Son of God and Our Savior—in her arms. Be present and imagine it! Let it become alive to you!
2. PILGRIMAGE. Mary and Saint Joseph travel to Jerusalem to present the Infant Jesus in the Temple. JOY! There is joy in this trip. Why? The Holy Family is united in their love for God and their desire to carry out God’s holy will. Accompany Mary who carries the Infant Jesus in her arms. Walk with Mary, contemplate her and talk with her along the way. She desires to enter into deep conversation with you. With the utmost sincerity, tell her all that is on your mind, all that is in your heart, the deepest secrets that have been hidden in the inner recesses of your soul. Mary is your loving Mother, companion and friend.
3. SAINT JOSEPH. Union with Mary and Jesus can never exclude the person of the great Saint Joseph. The first lover of Jesus and Mary was good Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph can bring you to a deeper knowledge, love and union with Mary and Jesus. Good Saint Joseph has the most sublime role in the world, after Mary and Jesus. Saint Joseph is called by God the Father to be the husband or spouse of the Virgin Mary, but even more important, Saint Joseph is called to be the Foster Father of Jesus. Talk to Saint Joseph as if he is your spiritual father: he cares for you, he loves you and can attain for you many choice graces.
4. TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM. Arrival in Jerusalem, “The City of Peace”, culminates in going to the majestic, beautiful, and awe-inspiring Temple of Jerusalem. This enormous and majestic temple took many years to build under the order and direction of King Solomon, the son of King David.
5. OUR LADY AS TEMPLE. Our Lady was the temple and resting place of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ during the nine months of her pregnancy. Indeed, Mary was a more beautiful temple than the Majestic Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple of Jerusalem contained symbolically the presence of God. Our Lady contained within her womb the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus—she was the “True Temple of God”. With what love and tenderness did Our Lady cherish Jesus within her womb, and then once born, how much love and tenderness did she shower upon Him, her greatest “Treasure”.
6. OUR LADY AS TEMPLE: YOU AS TEMPLE. From the moment you were baptized you became the Temple of the Living God—The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our Lady is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of God the Holy Spirit. Through your Baptism you are a son or daughter of God the Father, brother or sister to Jesus Christ, and intimate friend of the Holy Spirit. Beg Our Lady to help you recognize your great dignity, as well as your eternal destiny—which is none other than to be with Our Lady in heaven to glorify the Trinity for all eternity.
7. PROPHET SIMEON. Indeed, the eyes of this elderly mystic perceive Jesus, the Savior of the world, in the arms of Our Lady. He rejoices exultantly and praises God, for finally the day has arrived to not only see Jesus, the Son of Mary, but to actually hold Jesus in his arms. Now Simeon is ready to go—even to die in peace, if this is God’s will, because his eyes have finally beheld the promised One of Israel.
8. GREATER PRIVILEGE. Now you should rejoice because you have an even greater privilege than Simeon. In Mass and the Consecration, in the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, you can see Jesus, the Son of Mary, on a daily basis. Beg Our Lady to give you the eyes of faith to see Jesus in Mass in the Consecration, in Holy Communion, as well as in the Tabernacle or Monstrance in His Eucharistic Presence. Beg Our Lady with this prayer: “Mary, give me the eyes to see Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence, and to love and adore Him with your Immaculate Heart!”
9. OUR LADY OF SORROWS—THE FIRST SWORD OF SORROW. As the Prophet Simeon marvels at the Infant Jesus, he turns his gaze to Our Lady and makes a prophecy which is the first sword of Sorrow to pass through the pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“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” (Lk. 2:34-35).
10. MARY’S LOVE EVEN IN SUFFERING. One of the most noble characteristics of Our Lady is her total openness to the will of God in absolutely everything. This includes that Our Lady is even willing to accept all of the sufferings that God in His Divine Providence wills to send her. The sufferings of Mary are many and intense.
11. THE SWORD. The sword prophesied by Simeon points to the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus the Lord.
“But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out” (Jn. 19:33-34).
This first sword is a clear reference to the sword that pierces Jesus’ side and penetrates His Sacred Heart, causing Blood and water to gush forth, after He has breathed forth His spirit on the cross. Jesus suffers no pain in that moment because He is already dead. However, seeing this, Our Lady suffers intense pain.
12. QUEEN OF MARTYRS. For this reason, the great Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church and author of The Glories of Mary, proclaimed Our Lady to be the Queen of Martyrs. The sword does not penetrate her flesh, but indeed it penetrates to the very depths of her tender heart and soul.
13. YOUR SORROWS AND OUR LADY OF SORROWS. We all have our joys to share with Our Lady, but also, we all have our many sorrows to share with Our Lady. Never be afraid to open up and pour out from the depths of your own broken heart, your deep sorrows, your wounds, your bruises, and even your scars. When a child falls down and scrapes their knee, their mother is the one who runs to their aid, lifts them up, and kisses and bandages the wound. Our Lady is always ready and willing to pick us up out of the mud after we have fallen, help us clean up by means of making a good Confession, and help us start again with renewed hope.
14. CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY. Hopefully, all who are reading this have made their Consecration to Mary. If not, why not consecrate yourself to Mary now, this moment. Consecration to Our Lady means giving to her all that we are and all that we have—this includes our struggles, sufferings, and even our failures. She is always there, ready and willing to stretch out her loving hands to lift us up and to clasp us to her Immaculate Heart!
Purchase and wear a brown Scapular and say this prayer each morning:
My Queen and my Mother, I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Whereas I am your own, good Mother, keep me and guard me as your property and possession. Amen.
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
