Lời cảnh báo quá rõ ràng: trước khi lần cuối cùng, Thiên Chúa sẽ sai thiên sứ của Ngài đến để cảnh báo dân người dân tẩy rửa quốc gia. Mặc dù mục đích là để làm sạch, không ai có thể trông đợi vào nó, vì đó cũng sẽ là một thời gian phán xét. Ngày trở lại của Chúa luôn luôn dự đoán với những sự sợ hãi hay lo sợ. Nhưng như thường lệ là mọi thứ sẽ thường bị đổi ngược..khhác nhau.
Chúng ta không cần phải lo sợ về những yếu đuối và sự sa ngã của mình. Chúng ta không phải sống trong nỗi sợ hãi của bản án đã định sẵn. Chúng ta có một người bạn và người anh luôn luôn đem ánh sáng làm rực một con đường cho chúng ta đi. Ngài luôn mong chờ để chào đón chúng ta và Ngài sẽ giúp chúng ta trong cuộc hành trình của chúng ta về nhà Chúa .
Trước hết, khi Thiên Chúa bước vào ngôi đền thờ, như một em bé yếu đuối, bất lực. Ngài đã tiếp xúc với tất cả những mối nguy hiểm đang đe dọa trẻ em trong độ tuổi rằng: chiến tranh, nạn đói, bệnh tật, và bạo lực. Nhưng ông Simeon đã công nhận rằng Ngài sẽ là ơn cứu rỗi, là niềm vui cho nhiều người, nhưng Ngài cũng làm cho nhiều người phải khó chịu vì Ngài là mối đe dọa cho người khác.
Tóm lại, Thiên Chúa đối với chúng ta, Ngài không chống lại chúng ta, Nhưng trong thực tế, Thiên Chúa là một người trong nhóm chúng ta. Chúng ta không bao giờ phải sợ hãi hay cảm thấy bị cô đơn.
Lạy Chúa,
Lạy Chúa, Xin cho chúng con cùng bước đi với Ngài trong mọi cuộc hành trình của đời con.
The warning was clear: before the final times, God would send his messenger to warn people and to purify the nation. Although the intent was to purify, no one would look forward to it, as it would also be a time of reckoning. The Day of the Lord was always anticipated with a certain amount of dread or fear. As is often the case, things turned out differently.
First of all, when God came, it was in human form. Jesus became one of us, sharing in our human limitations and weaknesses in all things but sin. He was tested; he struggled; he suffered. All of this was for one purpose: so that he could be compassionate with us in our own failures and weaknesses. He understood what it was like to be human. He could relate to our experience through his own. We need not fear our failures and weaknesses. We do not have to live in dread of judgment. We have a friend and brother who has already blazed a path for us. He waits to welcome us and he helps us on the journey.
When God entered the temple, it was as a frail human child. He was exposed to all the dangers that threatened children in that age: war, famine, disease, and violence. But Simeon recognized that his coming would be joyful salvation for many, but very upsetting and threatening for others. The bottom line: God is for us, not against us — in fact, God is one of us. We need not ever fear or feel alone. Lord, walk with me on my journey.
Try to imagine the scene. Simeon had lived a holy and devout life. And deep within his conscience, he knew that his life on earth would not come to an end until he was privileged to see the Savior of the World with his own eyes. He knew this by a special gift of faith, an interior revelation of the Holy Spirit, and he believed.
It’s helpful to think about this unique gift of knowledge that Simeon had throughout his life. Normally we gain knowledge through our five senses. We see something, hear something, taste, smell, or feel something, and as a result come to know it to be true. Physical knowledge is very reliable and is the normal way we come to know things. But this gift of knowledge Simeon had was different. It was deeper and was spiritual in nature. He knew he would see the Messiah before he died, not because of some external sensory perception he had received but because of an interior revelation from the Holy Spirit.
This truth begs the question, which type of knowledge is more certain? Something you see with your eyes, touch, smell, hear or taste? Or something that God speaks to you in the depths of your soul by a revelation of grace? Though these types of knowledge are different, it’s important to understand that the spiritual knowledge that is given by the Holy Spirit is far more certain than anything perceived through the five senses alone. This spiritual knowledge has the power to change your life and direct all your actions toward that revelation.
For Simeon, this interior knowledge of a spiritual nature suddenly united with his five senses when Jesus was brought into the Temple. Simeon suddenly saw, heard and felt this Child Whom he knew he would one day see with his own eyes and touch with his own hands. For Simeon, that moment was the culminating moment of his life.
Reflect, today, upon anything that our Lord has spoken to you in the depths of your soul. Too often we ignore His gentle voice as it speaks, preferring instead to live only in the sensory world. But the spiritual reality within us must become the center and foundation of our lives. It is there where God speaks, and it is there where we, too, will discover the central purpose and meaning of our lives.
My spiritual Lord, I thank You for the countless ways in which You speak to me day and night in the depths of my own soul. Help me to be always attentive to You and to Your gentle voice as You speak to me. May Your voice and Your voice alone become the guiding direction of my life. May I trust in Your Word and never waver from the mission You have given to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I come before you today attentive to your life-giving Word. I am called to turn from the things of this passing world and to look toward the things of heaven. The things of this world cannot offer me lasting happiness. In you alone, I find the eternal happiness I desire and seek.
1. David Instructs Solomon: In the First Reading, King David gives his last will and testament to his son Solomon. David tells him to follow the mandates of the Lord as they are written in the Law of Moses. David also directs Solomon to punish David’s enemies and reward David’s loyal supporters (1 Kings 2:5-9). In his testament, David recalls the covenant oath that the Lord made about his kingdom enduring forever. The Lord God promised that if David’s royal sons were faithful, they would experience the blessings of the covenant. If they were unfaithful – and many of them were – they would trigger the curses of the covenant and be chastised.
3. Jesus, the New David, Instructs the Twelve: Just as David instructed Solomon about how to reign, so also Jesus, the Son of David, instructed the future pastors of his Church on how they were to govern. Jesus granted authority to the Twelve and this is symbolized in the walking stick or staff they are to carry. Unlike Solomon, who relied on the security of gold, the Apostles are to move about among the towns and villages of Galilee without money or food and rely on God’s providence and care and the generosity of those they serve. Unlike Solomon who began to worship false gods and build sanctuaries for demons like Chemosh and Molech (2 Kings 11:7), the Twelve are to drive out many demons in their ministry. Unlike Solomon, who consolidated his kingdom by gathering chariots and warhorses, the Kingdom of God the Apostles preach is one of trusting in God, being healed in body and spirit, and repenting from sin. One day, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Apostles will be sent out into the whole world and be given the authority to forgive sins in Jesus’ name.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my king and my God. You have the words of everlasting life. The story of Solomon is tragic. He had a wise and understanding heart in his youth but was foolish in his old age. I do not want my life to end in tragedy. Guide my heart to love you more each day, to avoid the temptations of this world, and to be a light to all those I meet today.
Resolution: How many times have we bought something new and thrown out the instructions before reading them? Sometimes we are impatient to get started and try to figure it out on our own. Because of this, we sometimes end up making mistakes or misusing whatever we bought or even breaking it rendering it useless. Similarly, the instructions that God gives us through his Word are not to be discounted or set aside. They are not arbitrary commandments or divine whims that restrict our freedom. Rather, they are the path of love that leads us to true happiness and ultimate fulfillment! What commandments of the Lord do I ignore or struggle to follow? What commandments am I following and what effect does this have in my life?
For centuries, the people of God waited for God’s messenger, the one who would usher in the final days. Malachi described him as one that would purify the temple and priesthood. He would come in the spirit of Elijah, and prepare the people to meet God. In the New Testament, he was associated with John the Baptist.
We all wait expectantly, but patience is difficult for most people. Jesus asks us to be prepared always, so that we might be ready to meet him whenever he comes. Jesus is a compassionate and faithful high priest because he suffered and struggled, and his testing was real. He is like us in all things but sin. Our own suffering and struggle should make us compassionate and merciful towards others, just like Jesus. The Lord entered the temple, as the prophecy in Malachi promised. Jesus was presented to the Lord and the proper offering made, in accordance with Jewish law.
Two individuals — Anna and Simeon — recognized Jesus and proclaimed him. They had been waiting patiently and attentively — and that is a mark of holiness. They listened and watched with great sensitivity and attention, without distraction. Their vigilance was rewarded, just as ours will be, when we learn to wait on the Lord. Lord, teach me to wait patiently.
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