Nếu chúng ta tưởng tượng đến hình ảnh của bài phúc âm hôm nay, chúng ta có thể sẽ thấy khu đền thờ đầy những người qua lại giống như một khu chợ hơn là đền thờ. Khi Đức Maria, ông Giuse mang Chúa Giêsu đến đền thờ này, chắc chắn họ sẽ bị lạc trong những đám đông này. Một cặp vợ chồng rất đơn sơ, bình thường với một đứa trẻ thơ, họ thực sự không có gì đáng để ý. Có nhiều thầy thượng tế và người Pha-ri-sêu hiện diện và đứng giữa đám đông, họ có thể vai xánh vai với ông Giuse, nhưng không một ai trong số các giáo sĩ này của dân của Chúa đã có thể nghĩ rằng đứa trẻ này lại là "ánh sáng để soi chiếu những người ngoại giáo và cũng là vinh quang của dân Chúa, Israel ". Thất là kỳ lạ cho dù mọi người Do Thái đang háo hức khao khát và chờ đợi Đấng Mếtsaia sẽ đến với họ, nhưng không ai biết , kể cả các nhà lãnh đạo tôn giáo, đều nhận Ngài. Không ai, ngoại trừ ông già, Simeon, và góa già Anna.
Thiên Chúa đã nói với Simeon rằng ông sẽ được sống cho đến khi mắt ông nhìn thấy Đấng Mết-sai-a. Vì ông là một người đạo đức biết kính sợ Chúa, và Chúa Thánh Thần đã đến với ông, Như Tin Mừng Luca đã nói. Chắc chắn là Thánh Thần Chúa đã gợi cho ông Simeon nhìn thấy được thực tại của trần thế này là thấy Thiên Chúa đang làm việc trong con người. Và ông Simeon đã thấy nơi Chúa Jêsus trong việc Ngài đã hoàn thành các lời hứa của các đấng thiên sai. Ông còn thấy được nhiều hơn thế nữa; Ông đã công nhận rằng công việc của Chúa Jêsus không là chỉ đếb thế gian để cứu rỗi dân Do Thái mà thôi, nhưng Ngài còn đến để cứu rỗi toàn thể nhân loại.
Chúng ta hãy cầu xin Chúa Thánh Linh dạy cho chúng ta cách biết nhìn vào kinh nghiệm của chính bản thân chúng ta hàng ngày và tìm ra công việc mả Thiên Chúa muốn chúng ta thực hiện trong kế hoạch cứu rỗi của nhân loại cũa Ngài..
REFLECTION December 29, 2017
If we try to imagine the picture of today’s gospel, we may see the temple area teemed with people. It was something like a marketplace. Jesus, Mary and Joseph came into the Temple area and immediately were lost in the milling crowds. An ordinary poor couple with a very young baby: there was really nothing worth noticing.
There were priests and Pharisees among the crowd, rubbing shoulders with the little family, yet not a single one of these religious elite of God's own people had any idea this child was "a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of [God's] people Israel." It seems very strange that though every Jew was eagerly waiting and yearning for the Messiah to come, no one, not even the religious leaders, recognized him. No one, that is, other than the old man, Simeon, and the old widow, Anna. God had told Simeon that he would live until his eyes beheld the Messiah. He was a devout and pious man and the Holy Spirit was on him, Luke says. Undoubtedly the Spirit inspired Simeon to look at the earthly reality and see God at work in it. Simeon saw in Jesus the fulfillment of the messianic promises. He saw much more besides; he recognized that Jesus' task embraced the salvation not only of the Jewish people, but of the whole human race.
Let us ask the Spirit to teach us how to look into our daily experiences and find the task God intends us to fulfill in his plan for the salvation of all humankind.
The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Today’s Gospel tells the story of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Temple was, in practically a literal sense, the dwelling place of the Lord. In the Temple, divinity and humanity embraced, and the human race was brought back online with God.
But the sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the Temple. Therefore, one of the deepest aspirations of Israel’s people was to reestablish the Temple as the place of right praise so that the glory of the Lord might return. When Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the Temple, therefore, we are meant to appreciate that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The glory of Yahweh is returning to his favorite dwelling. And this is precisely what Simeon sees.
The old seer is a symbol of ancient Israel, watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon knew all of the old prophecies; he embodied the expectation of the nation; and the Holy Spirit had given him the revelation that he would not die until he had laid eyes on his Savior.
REFLECTION December 29
John was adamant: to believe in Jesus and to know him is to walk as he walked and that means loving as he loved. Love is not an abstraction or an idea but a way of life. The only way we express love for God is by loving our brothers and sisters. If we claim to walk in light and love but fail to love those around us, then we are living a lie. Our daily interactions with others and the attitudes we have towards them are a test and an indicator of the quality and depth of our faith and our love for God.
Love and faith sustained Simeon and led him to encounter the infant Jesus in the temple. He felt that his life was complete — he could now go in peace. God was in control! But there was a warning — Jesus embodied perfect love, but this is threatening for many people, especially those who walk in darkness and selfishness. His presence would stir up a lot of trouble; many would stumble and fall. Love has a way of laying bare what lies within people. In their encounters with Jesus, the true inner nature of many people would be revealed in both a positive and negative sense.
How would you react to the presence of Jesus? Would perfect love be threatening to you? What would be revealed and laid bare? The answers to those questions lie in beginning this very day to walk the path of love — it is the only path to God’s kingdom.
Lord, may I always walk in light and love.
Opening Prayer:
Lord, I believe in your presence. I believe I can encounter you during this time of prayer. I believe in your promises. Increase my faith.
Encountering Christ:
1. What the Lord Had Promised: Simeon, like other Israelites, lived with the hope of the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. He was “awaiting the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), the Messiah that would come and save humanity from sin and death. Scripture is full of God’s promises. “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). “I will come back” (John 14:3). “You will have a treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). “You will inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5). “Where I am you will also be” (John 14:3). What has God promised you? Which promises most speak to you during this Christmas season?
2. Faith through Waiting: In this passage, we see the moment when Simeon encountered Jesus, when he saw the promise that he had awaited fulfilled. But how many days and nights had he shown up at the temple, waiting with no sign. When we read stories too quickly we can forget the struggle that occurred before the happy ending. We might be in a time of expectation, in a waiting period, tempted to darkness and doubt. In these moments, we battle against hopelessness, against the lies that suggest we’ve been abandoned or deceived. This is the perfect opportunity to exercise our faith, to stand strong in the certain knowledge that the Lord is always faithful, and that his timing is perfect.
3. My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation: There was nothing out of the ordinary that morning in Jerusalem when a young father and mother brought their newborn to be presented in the Temple. Every family did so. But the Gospel tells us that Simeon was able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the light for the nations.What a life of prayer and silence Simeon must have had! In order to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives we need special eyes of faith. We need to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. We need to notice his subtle movements in our heart. Praying every day enables us to notice God’s hand at work in our day. Our Lord is constantly showering graces upon us, and prayer helps us be ever more attentive to his endless blessings in our life.
Conversing with Christ:
Encountering Christ:
1. What the Lord Had Promised: Simeon, like other Israelites, lived with the hope of the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. He was “awaiting the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), the Messiah that would come and save humanity from sin and death. Scripture is full of God’s promises. “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). “I will come back” (John 14:3). “You will have a treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). “You will inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5). “Where I am you will also be” (John 14:3). What has God promised you? Which promises most speak to you during this Christmas season?
2. Faith through Waiting: In this passage, we see the moment when Simeon encountered Jesus, when he saw the promise that he had awaited fulfilled. But how many days and nights had he shown up at the temple, waiting with no sign. When we read stories too quickly we can forget the struggle that occurred before the happy ending. We might be in a time of expectation, in a waiting period, tempted to darkness and doubt. In these moments, we battle against hopelessness, against the lies that suggest we’ve been abandoned or deceived. This is the perfect opportunity to exercise our faith, to stand strong in the certain knowledge that the Lord is always faithful, and that his timing is perfect.
3. My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation: There was nothing out of the ordinary that morning in Jerusalem when a young father and mother brought their newborn to be presented in the Temple. Every family did so. But the Gospel tells us that Simeon was able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the light for the nations.What a life of prayer and silence Simeon must have had! In order to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives we need special eyes of faith. We need to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. We need to notice his subtle movements in our heart. Praying every day enables us to notice God’s hand at work in our day. Our Lord is constantly showering graces upon us, and prayer helps us be ever more attentive to his endless blessings in our life.
Conversing with Christ:
Holy Spirit, I want to hear you. I want the disposition of my heart to be such that I notice your presence in my life every day. Help me to appreciate your faithfulness throughout my day, and if I must wait for an answered prayer, help me to wait with confidence.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reflect on all those times you have shown your presence in my life and I will thank you for your fidelity. I will renew my hope in your promises.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reflect on all those times you have shown your presence in my life and I will thank you for your fidelity. I will renew my hope in your promises.
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